Russian military mobilisation begins despite protests around the country
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Videos shared online show hundreds of Russian men of fighting age leaving for the Ukrainian front after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a partial military mobilisation on September 21. Several impromptu protests against the call-up have since been held, leading to hundreds of arrests.
Several hours after a referendum was announced to integrate the regions of Donbas, Kherson and Zaporizhia into Russia, Vladimir Putin made a television address on September 21. He announced the partial military mobilisation to reinforce troops on the Ukrainian front. This is the first time such a draft has been triggered by the Russian state since the Second World War.
Putin specified that the mobilisation only concerned "citizens currently in the reserve", specifically "those who have already served in the armed forces and have specific military specialities".
A few minutes later, Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu announced that the state was seeking to recruit nearly 300,000 reservists. At the same time, the Kremlin's troops on the ground in Ukraine are retreating in the face of the counter-offensive launched by Ukrainians.
A contested announcement
Shortly after the announcement, hundreds of Russians took to the streets to protest the draft and reaffirm their opposition to the war in Ukraine.
Москва, Арбат. Прямо сейчас. pic.twitter.com/ecRxeJXtvp
— Ёшкин Крот (@yoshkinkrot) September 21, 2022
St. Petersburg against the war pic.twitter.com/AUQPTVS3Nd
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) February 24, 2022
These small-scale demonstrations were quickly suppressed by Russian security forces, who made numerous arrests across the country. According to the Russian non-governmental organisation OVD, which monitors protests in Russia and keeps a regular tally of arrests, at least 1,330 people were arrested during the protests on September 21 in 42 cities.
Putin's announcement of the partial mobilisation also led to a large number of people fleeing the country for fear of not being able to depart later. Airline websites were inundated with enquiries: direct flights to Istanbul, Yerevan and Belgrade, for example, swiftly sold out, while prices soared in the face of heightened demand.
Hundreds of other Russians got into their cars and headed for the country’s borders with Georgia, Finland and Serbia. Finnish border guards confirmed an increase in crossings, although the numbers are still quite limited.
Just how many have left is still unknown, but the German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said on Thursday that the country was ready to welcome deserters from the Russian army, given the "threat of serious repression" that they face.
A bumpy start to the mobilisation
Starting Wednesday afternoon, thousands of reservists were called to go to recruitment centres to register, before leaving to train for their deployment in Ukraine.
Several videos have emerged in recent days showing hundreds of men boarding buses with their belongings, from the Republic of Dagestan to the Republic of Yakutia.
"Папа, пока! Возвращайся!"
— Vasilisa (@Vasilisa_2_0) September 22, 2022
🇷🇺Старый Оскол. Белгородская область❤️ pic.twitter.com/axKCcQN3Vj
The partial mobilisation has affected many families, some of whom have sent young relatives into combat and triggered strong reactions around Russia.
#Russia 🇷🇺: tears in #Moscow as a son is being mobilized for the illegal war of a expansionist regime. pic.twitter.com/1OgNzzMx51
— Thomas van Linge (@ThomasVLinge) September 22, 2022
Мобилизация в Дагестане не очень гладко идёт:
— Руслан Ахалчи (@akhalchi) September 22, 2022
— Мой дед воевал за Родину!
— В 1941-1945 году мы воевали, это была война. А сейчас это не война, это политика. pic.twitter.com/gANnYtd5gp
Other videos, presumably filmed by conscripts themselves, show several reservists, visibly drunk, as buses take them for registration or training.