Between Wednesday, 21 September, when Russia announced partial mobilisation in the country, and Saturday, 24 September, a total of 261 000 men halve left the country, according to Novaja Gazeta Europe.
This information was handed to the Office of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The government in Russia now considers closing the border for men of mobilisation age. Multiple Russian media report that borders may be closed on Monday, 26 September.
In Sheremetyevo, long queues at the entrance to the airport
Thousands of Russians are trying to leave the country as soon as possible in connection with the mobilization.
Notice how many men are in line. pic.twitter.com/yuFPC9FYde
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) September 25, 2022
Meduza, referencing sources in the government, estimates the real number of mobilised men may reach 1.2 million men. The majority, according to Meduza, are planned to be mobilised in countryside regions, where people are less educated but support for the war is higher than it is in cities.
Novaja Gazeta Europe, referencing a sources in the office of the Russian president, estimates that the mobilisation order’s section 7, which was not published publicly, mentions plans to conscript up to a million men. This digit was corrected multiple times, according to Novaja Gazeta Europe.
Western society, meanwhile, is shocked and surprised by video footage that shows mobilised men not protesting but rather boarding trains and aircraft, departing for the war. It is worth mentioning that there are mass unrest among women in Dagestan and Yakutia. There are also reports of buses organised for residents of Buryatia to send them to Mongolia. Organisers make offers to these and other national minorities in Russia to «save themselves» from mobilisation and flee the war.
Women in Yakutsk are protesting against mobilization: “Let our children live!”
pic.twitter.com/Q4nIH0Ke3j
— Julia Davis (@JuliaDavisNews) September 25, 2022
Until a notification of mobilisation is received, Russians are allowed to move within the country’s borders, but it’s a «bad idea». «You can freely travel to Krasnodar or Omsk, but I would not recommend travelling to Turkey’s resorts. Better go to resorts in Crimea or Krasnodar,» as Dozhd cites what Russian State Duma representative Andrey Kartapolov said to reservists.
Russian Minister of Defence Sergei Shoigu said that as a result of partial mobilisation it will be possible to conscript 300 000 reservists to the Russian army, as reported by Unian. According to the minister, this accounts for 1.1% of Russia’s total mobilisation resources.
This is the third time Russia has announced mobilisation: first was 18 July 1914 during WWI, the second was 23 June 1941 during WWII. 21 September 2022 marks the third.
Following the announcement of partial mobilisation in Russia, Latvia’s State Security Service invites all Russian citizens living in Latvia to inform the service if they receive a mobilisation notification. VDD reminds that in accordance with Sections 77.1 and 95.1 of the Criminal Law, non-citizens and foreigners who have permanent residence permits in Latvia, will be subject to criminal liability for joining Russian armed forces and participating in the war against Ukraine. Residents who have double citizenship may have their Latvian citizenship annulled for aforementioned violations of the law.
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Information can be submitted by e-mail (dd@vdd.gov.lv) or by phone (67208964). VDD guarantees confidentiality.
According to information from western and Ukrainian sources, since the start of the Russian-Ukrainian war, 56 700 Russian troops, 9 000 Ukrainian troops and 396 children have been killed. This information cannot be verified due to the ongoing war. Several million people have become refugees. Latvia has received approximately 37 629 war refugees. Since the start of September Ukrainian army has managed to take back more than 3 000 km2 of territory, which is more than Russia has taken since April.