Just came back from Russia about a week ago and yeah you're right they're not just picking people off of the street. The 'voenkomat' however, is visiting homes where adult men are registered and organizing training camps, sending them there, doing medical checks, and keeping a close eye on movement within the country. Also, different areas around the country seem to be doing a variety of things - meaning there's no standard. People are worried, the only ones who are keen to actually join the front are younger men who need the money (currently the sum being offered is 200,000 rubles, I believe), everyone else just hopes for the best. Friends of mine are trying to leave to Kazakhstan, but crossing the border has been an issue.

As a side note, the propaganda there is very advanced, very thorough, and comes from every possible source. I'm not at all surprised that the average Russian believes that this is all America's fault (every lie has a grain of truth) and that despite not wanting to kill Ukrainians they want to defend their border, their people, and their sovereignty. Anyway, there's propaganda from both sides, as is typical during war. Moral needs to be kept up, imagine how demoralizing it would be for the 'losing' side if the real numbers were known? Sure thing, send me to the front lines where the bodies of other 18 year olds pile up.