Rights groups report conscription raids in Moscow and St Petersburg

Police have detained young men of draft age in Moscow and St Petersburg, including at metro stations and near homes, according to rights advocates and families.

Advocates say they recorded about 50 detentions in the two cities in October and consider them unlawful.

Those detained are taken to military processing centres, where they may be sent to the army within one or two days.

Russian law provides exemptions or delays in some cases, including for certain medical conditions and full-time students.

One Moscow student with a heart condition was brought home after his family found him at a processing centre and a lawyer intervened.

Another student's whereabouts remain unknown, while his friend says he may have been forced to sign a military contract; the friend has not seen the document.

Families fear men may be sent to serve before they can challenge their detention, but the available accounts do not establish what happened to every person reported missing.