Faced with the drafts, the Russians face resignation and flight

Putin’s announcement, although expected by some, had a detonating effect in Russia, leading to chaotic situations both on the Russian borders and inside the recruitment offices. The Russian president announced the mobilization of 300,000 reservists to support Russian troops at the front, something that had not happened in the country since World War II.

The mobilized men are mostly between 25 and 35 years old and have already done their military service. The Ministry of Defense considers the mobilization of shooters, tankers, artillerymen, drivers and mechanics to be a priority.

According to Vladimir Shimlianski, spokesman for the mobilization department of the Russian General Staff, students who take face-to-face studies, “computers, bank employees, communications specialists and journalists, as well as workers of companies in the military industry, parents of families, will be exempted. numerous, those who are in charge of the disabled and sick, and Russians living abroad.”

The independent press reported the existence of a clause that would allow the Army to call up up to a million men, which was denied by the Kremlin. Should they refuse to participate in the war, they face legal proceedings and possibly prison.

Migrants trying to work in Russia are particularly targeted by this appeal. The Duma has passed a law to simplify the acquisition of Russian citizenship. According to her, foreigners who have concluded a one-year service contract in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation will be able to obtain citizenship without long waiting times and other bureaucratic obstacles, as the mayor of Moscow announced on September 20.

A chaotic effect in Russia

The combat calls did not have to wait more than a few hours after the announcement to receive their summons. Across Russia, express recruitment has been organized, but apparently on the spur of the moment and with little computer coordination. The majority of future Russian soldiers received their summons in paper form, sometimes with the police going to their home to deliver it to them.

In addition, and contrary to the promises of the authorities, it seems that men without combat experience are also being recruited.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov tried to reassure people, explaining that the government would answer the questions of all recruits.

“One could somehow understand the hysterical, extremely emotional reaction in the first hours after the announcement, even on the first day, because indeed there was a certain lack of information, which is also understandable and justifiable,” the Kremlin spokesman said. , Dmitri Peskov, at a press conference this Friday, September 23, adding, “But, since yesterday, all hotlines and information offices have been activated in accordance with the Government’s decision.”

Some did not wait for their call and presented themselves voluntarily. According to the Russian Army, about 10,000 men enlisted in the ranks of the Russian Army to be sent to Ukraine.

“On the first day of partial mobilization in the military commissariats, about 10,000 people voluntarily appeared without waiting to receive their summons,” explained Vladimir Shimlianski.

However, many others, while supporting Putin’s military operation, showed up at the offices reluctantly, fearful of leaving their families and their jobs. However, they resigned themselves to going to the front “for a good cause”.

a wave of rejection

On the other hand, thousands of Russians have tried and continue to try to leave the country since Putin’s announcement on Wednesday. Some went by plane to countries that do not require a visa for Russians, such as Turkey or Armenia, where plane tickets from Russia have skyrocketed since Wednesday.

Others decided to cross the border countries by car, creating long lines at the borders, such as those of Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Georgia, or Finland.

Finland, which is the gateway to the European Union, saw its number of Russian visitors rise sharply in recent days, with some 7,000 people entering from Russia on Thursday, some 6,000 of them Russian, according to border guards. But the Finnish government, which does not want the country to become a major transit nation, plans to bar all Russians with tourist visas from entering in the coming days, Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto said.

Following Putin’s announcement, several military recruitment centers in Russia have been attacked with Molotov cocktails, several local media reported on Friday. These events took place in Saint Petersburg, Nizhny Novgorod, Orenburg and Zabaikal, among other cities.

The announcement also prompted people to take part in demonstrations in at least 38 cities across the country against the mobilization, although they were not on a large scale. More than 1,300 people were arrested on Wednesday in the marches, however, it did not prevent the opposition from calling a new national protest for this Saturday.

At the same time, annexation referendums were launched on Friday in the partially occupied Ukrainian regions of Lugansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhia. The vote will conclude next Tuesday and a result is widely expected in favor of Moscow, although the international community has repeatedly emphasized that it will not recognize the result of these referendums.

With EFE, AFP and Reuters