Claim
Get Lost project said it received 14 complaints between August 10 and 18 from men who claimed they were detained and forced to sign contracts with Russia's Defense Ministry
Attributed to Get Lost project
Evidence
I attempted multiple web searches to locate independent reporting or fact-checks on the specific claim that Russia's 'Get Lost' (Idi Lesom) anti-mobilization project reported receiving 14 complaints between August 10-18 from men who said they were detained and coerced into signing Russian Defense Ministry contracts. Initial searches confirmed 'Get Lost' is a real organization (founded 2022 by Grigory Sverdlin, based in Tbilisi, per Wikipedia and EBCO) that documents Russian mobilization and coercion issues, and other searches turned up related but not identical reporting: RFE/RL documented cases of intoxicated men being tricked into signing military contracts, and the #ObjectWar campaign/Conscription School (Alexei Tabalov) described a rising pattern of conscripts being coerced into contracts. However, my search tool then hit a rate limit ('Server tool use limit exceeded') and I was unable to complete further searches specifically for the '14 complaints,' the 'August 10-18' date range, or for any Reuters, AFP, Bellingcat, or EUvsDisinfo fact-check of this exact claim before being unable to continue.
Supporting sources
- Get Lost (organisation) - Wikipedia
- RFE/RL - 'Drunk? Sign Here': Russia Recruits Intoxicated Men As Military Manpower Crisis Peaks
- ObjectWar Campaign - 'They'll kill you, and send others in your place' - How Conscripts are Forced to Sign Contracts
- European Bureau for Conscientious Objection - Report on the anniversary of mobilization in Russia by GET LOST
Assessment
While the general phenomenon (Get Lost documenting forced/coerced military contract signings in Russia) is corroborated by related but non-identical reporting from RFE/RL and the ObjectWar campaign, I could not find the specific claim of exactly 14 complaints in the August 10-18 window, nor any Reuters/AFP/Bellingcat/EUvsDisinfo fact-check addressing it, before my search access was cut off by a rate limit.
Confidence
Little or no independent corroboration was found - this reflects the current state of public evidence, not a guess.
Timeline
Aug 20, 2026, 9:45 AM UTC
UnverifiedInitial assessment.
First observed Aug 20, 2026, 9:45 AM UTC · Last reviewed Aug 20, 2026, 9:45 AM UTC