By Ned Bradshaw

On February 24, the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, carried out a special military operation in eastern Ukraine, marking the start of the Russian-Ukraine War. Since this invasion, Russia has continued to push through Ukraine’s front lines but has recently suffered many defeats. On September 21, Putin announced a partial mobilization to draft up to 300,000 Russian citizens to serve in the war.

Since Russian authorities have forcefully implemented the mobilization, some Russian citizens have reacted violently. Many protests have been held, and thousands of people have been arrested. Some citizens have resorted to extreme methods, such as amputation and obtaining false medical records, to evade mobilization. Roughly 400,000 Russians have fled Russia to countries such as Georgia, Mongolia, and Kazakhstan, sleeping on the floors of mosques, churches, gyms, and cinemas, relying on local citizens for handouts. Neighboring countries struggle to provide for the hundreds of thousands of Russian refugees flooding their borders.

Russia tank. Photo credit: Serge Serebro.

Due to the high travel demand, prices for plane and train tickets have soared, and day-long waiting lines have developed at countries’ borders. Real estate agents in neighboring countries say that rent for properties has skyrocketed since the initiation of the mobilization. Russian refugees are willing to pay exceedingly large amounts of money for shelter, but there is not enough housing space to fit everyone. 

CNN interviewed two Russian refugees and draftees named Alexei and Vadimin Kazakhstan. “We ran away from Russia because we want to live,” Alexei says. He adds, “We are afraid that we can be sent to Ukraine.” Hundreds of draftees are lined up outside Kazakhstan’s government registration center, attempting to enter Kazakhstan. Alexei and Vadim waited three days before crossing the border into Kazakhstan.

Hundreds of Russian citizens have been arrested since the announcement of Putin’s mobilization. Refusing to serve is punishable by ten years in prison, and Russian law banned unsanctioned rallies. In Moscow, various punishments have been approved for those accused of dereliction after being drafted. Russian law enforcement has handed draft paperwork to detained Russian citizens. Lawyers and civic groups have been overwhelmed with hundreds of draftees who seek support to evade the draft. Since Putin revised the Russian constitution regarding mobilization, lawyers can do few things to help.

Russian soldiers in Rostov-on Don. Photo credit: Vyacheslav Argenberg.

The United Nations Human Rights Office has called to release all detained citizens from protests. U.N Human Rights spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani addressed the issue of the unfairness in the draft. “We stress that arresting people solely for exercising their rights of peaceful assembly and freedom of expression constitutes an arbitrary deprivation of liberty,” said Shamdasani.

The conditions for Russia’s army are inadequate, and the soldiers suffer from sickness and a lack of supplies. A Russian soldier claims, “I would say absolutely everyone is sick. Personally, I lost my taste and smell. The same symptoms can be detected in others, which allows us to assume a coronavirus infection.” Since sickness and poor conditions await incoming Russian soldiers, they fear for their health and ability to sustain themselves.