“Thousands of Russian men – our fathers, brothers and husbands – will be thrown into the meat grinder of war? What will they die for? No to mobilization!” A few Russians heeded this call to protest on social media and took to the streets in several cities on Wednesday, but the security forces intervened uncompromisingly.More than 700 people were killed across Russia late in the evening, according to the civil rights portal OVD-Info. arrested.
The biggest rallies were also held in the country’s two largest cities. In Moscow people chanted “Russia without Putin”. Participants also held up placards featuring the colors of the Ukrainian flag and slogans such as “No to mobilization!” Given the massive state repression in Russia, the protests are unlikely to be too big.
For example, the authorities in the capital Moscow already warned before the start of a planned demonstration for participation: the prosecutor threatened people with up to 15 years in prison. Since the start of the war against Ukraine nearly seven months ago, the Russian government has cracked down on opposition members and opponents of the war, including stricter laws.
A vague mobilization decree
In a televised address on Wednesday morning, President Putin ordered the partial mobilization of Russia’s armed forces. In total, 300,000 reservists must be called up to fight against Ukraine. The background is probably the Russian personnel problems in the war of aggression that started on February 24.
The Department of Defense says it has a huge reserve power potential of 25 million people. Under Russian law, men and women between the ages of 18 and 60 can theoretically be called up as reservists, depending on their rank.
The mobilization decree has apparently been deliberately kept vague in order to give the government a lot of leeway in its implementation. The number 300,000 is not even mentioned in the published version of the decree. It comes from Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. According to Shoigu, the main task of the reservists will be to strengthen the front line in Ukraine, which is currently more than 1,000 kilometers long.
Are reservists already on the run?
The reservists cannot be sent directly to Ukraine because they first have to refresh their training. Western military analysts therefore assume that it will take several months before they are deployed. The announcement of the mobilization seems to have caused panic among some potential reservists. Some flights from Russia sold out quickly on Wednesday, ticket sales data show. There are unconfirmed media reports that some of the men who tried to leave the country were turned back by Russian border guards.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
