Hundreds of people have been arrested by authorities in Russia in protests against the new "partial mobilization" of reservists for the war in Ukraine, according to an independent human rights group. The NGO OVD-Info said that 724 people were detained in 32 different cities on Saturday (24). About a thousand people had already been arrested earlier in the week. Demonstrations have gripped the country since President Vladimir Putin announced plans to call up 300,000 reserve troops.
"Unauthorized" demonstrations are prohibited by Russian law, but that has not stopped the protests, which have taken on a large scale in urban areas. In Moscow, the AFP news agency reported witnessing a protester being arrested by police and shouting "we are not cannon fodder" (a term used for troops who are treated as expendable in a conflict). And in St. Petersburg, one of the country's main cities, a man told reporters: "I don't want to go to war for Putin." Natalya Dubova, 70, told AFP she was opposed to the war and confessed that she was "fearful for young people" who should be ordered to the front.
Severe punishments
Some of the people arrested on Saturday reported receiving summons documents and ordered to report to recruitment centers while under the guard of security forces. The Kremlin defended the practice earlier this week, saying it was "not against the law". Moscow also passed harsh new punishments for those accused of dereliction of duty upon call-up, imposing punishments of up to 10 years in prison for any soldier caught surrendering, attempting to desert or refusing to fight. The president also signed orders granting Russian citizenship to any foreign national who signs up to serve one year in the country's armed forces.
The decree shows just how serious the shortage of troops in Moscow has become, observers say, and ignores the usual requirement of five years of residence in the country to grant citizenship. In other cities, young Russians continue to leave the country to avoid the draft. On the Georgian border, lines of Russian cars stretch for more than 30 kilometers and the Interior Ministry has urged people not to travel. Local Russian officials admitted there was a significant influx of cars trying to cross - with nearly 2,500 vehicles waiting at a checkpoint.
The admission is a change in tone from Russia, which on Thursday had described reports of Russians fleeing conscription as "false". Meanwhile, Finland has seen a sharp increase in the number of Russians trying to enter the country. Matti Pitkaniitty, a spokesman for the country's border guard, said the number of Russians arriving had more than doubled since last week. On Friday, the government announced plans to keep out Russian tourists.
"The aim is to significantly reduce the number of people coming to Finland from Russia," President Sauli Niinistö told the state broadcaster. Several other neighboring countries have already ruled out offering asylum to Russians who wish to avoid enlistment. "Many Russians who are now fleeing Russia because of the mobilization were in agreement with the killing of Ukrainians," said Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rink?vi?s. "They didn't protest before. It's not right to consider them conscientious objectors now." On Friday, the Kremlin unveiled a number of professions that guarantee exemption from recruitment.
IT workers, bankers and journalists working for state media will escape the "partial mobilization" announced by Putin. However, the veracity of the Kremlin's claims has been questioned, with reports of men being called up who do not meet the recruitment criteria. Margarita Simonyan, editor of the state-owned newspaper RT, posted on Twitter a list of elderly and disabled citizens who were required to report to the service.