On 21 September 2022, seven months into the

Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. An ...

, Russia declared a partial mobilization of military reservists. The decision was made a day after the announcement of the Russian

annexation Annexation (Latin ''ad'', to, and ''nexus'', joining), in international law, is the forcible acquisition of one state's territory by another state, usually following military occupation of the territory. It is generally held to be an illegal act ...

of the DPR, LPR,

Kherson Kherson (, ) is a port city of Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers appr ...

and

Zaporizhzhia Zaporizhzhia ( uk, Запоріжжя) or Zaporozhye (russian: Запорожье) is a city in southeast Ukraine, situated on the banks of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. It is the Capital city, administrative centre of Zaporizhzhia Oblast. Zapor ...

oblasts. The announcement of mobilization was seen as a significant escalation of Russia's military efforts in the war with Ukraine. Defense Minister

Sergei Shoigu Sergei Kuzhugetovich Shoigu, ; tyv, Сергей Күжүгет оглу Шойгу, translit=Sergey Kyzhyget oglu Shoygu, . (russian: Сергей Кужугетович Шойгу; born 21 May 1955) is a Russian politician who has served as ...

announced that Russia had a "huge mobilization reserve" and planned to mobilize 300,000 recruits. The precise details of the mobilization plans are currently unclear, however, as the exact number of people to be mobilized is classified. On October 28, Shoigu told Russian president

Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin; (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who holds the office of president of Russia. Putin has served continuously as president or prime minister since 1999: as prime min ...

that mobilization had been completed, which was followed an announcement by Putin of its completion. However, it has been speculated that mobilization will only end after Putin signs a relevant decree, and that covert mobilization would still occur. Kremlin spokesman

Background

According to ''

The Moscow Times ''The Moscow Times'' is an independent English-language and Russian-language online newspaper. It was in print in Russia from 1992 until 2017 and was distributed free of charge at places frequented by English-speaking tourists and expatriates s ...

,'' Russian authorities had repeatedly rejected the possibility of mobilization at least 15 times prior to the announcement of partial mobilization. For example, on 8 March, Vladimir Putin publicly promised that no reservists would be called upon to fight in Ukraine. Russia had previously avoided declaring mobilization in Ukraine until this point. Previously, mobilizations were conducted in the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...

during the

Russo-Japanese War The Russo-Japanese War ( ja, 日露戦争, Nichiro sensō, Japanese-Russian War; russian: Ру́сско-япóнская войнá, Rússko-yapónskaya voyná) was fought between the Empire of Japan and the Russian Empire during 1904 and 1 ...

in 1904 and at the beginning of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

in 1914. The

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

mobilized its population and industry following the 1941 Nazi

German invasion German invasion may refer to: Pre-1900s * German invasion of Hungary (1063) World War I * German invasion of Belgium (1914) * German invasion of Luxembourg (1914) World War II * Invasion of Poland * German invasion of Belgium (1940) * G ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics

On 19 February 2022, general

mobilization Mobilization is the act of assembling and readying military troops and supplies for war. The word ''mobilization'' was first used in a military context in the 1850s to describe the preparation of the Prussian Army. Mobilization theories and ...

began in the

Donetsk Donetsk ( , ; uk, Донецьк, translit=Donets'k ; russian: Донецк ), formerly known as Aleksandrovka, Yuzivka (or Hughesovka), Stalin and Stalino (see also: Names of European cities in different languages (C–D), cities' alternat ...

and

Luhansk Luhansk (, ; uk, Луганськ, ), also known as Lugansk (, ; russian: Луганск, ), is a city in what is internationally recognised as Ukraine, although it is administered by Russia as capital of the Luhansk People's Republic (LPR). A ...

People's Republics (DNR and LNR), which at that time were not recognized by any sovereign state, including Russia. Tens of thousands of local residents were forcibly mobilized for the war (according to one estimate, up to 140,000 people by mid-June 2022). The mobilization was accompanied by mass raids on men of military age. In the enterprises of the region, up to 80% of employees were called up, which led to shutdown of mines and public transport, as well as the paralysis of cities and public services. To avoid mobilization, residents hid or tried to illegally leave the republics. The mobilization revealed numerous problems of the armed forces of the DNR and LNR. Recruits without training and combat experience found themselves on the front lines without adequate supplies: the units lacked uniforms, weapons, food, and medicines. Human rights activists reported a huge death toll among mobilized recruits in clashes with the better-trained

Ukrainian military , imports = , exports = , history = , ranks = Military ranks of Ukraine , country=Ukraine The Armed Forces of Ukraine ( uk, Збро́йні си́ли Украї́ни), most commonly known ...

– up to 30,000 as of August 2022.

Russia

Distribution of mobilization summonses for reservists began in April. The summonses handed out did not indicate the purpose of the call-up. Presumably, they were sent out to invite men to military registration and enlistment offices, where they would draft contracts to take part in the mobilization of reserves. On 28 May, the Russian parliament amended their military call-up legislation, thereby removing the age limit for those wishing to enlist. After Ukrainian counteroffensives in September 2022, Putin came under increasing pressure from Russian ultra-nationalists and pro-war activists such as

Igor Girkin Igor Vsevolodovich Girkin ( rus, И́горь Все́володович Ги́ркин, p=ˈiɡərʲ ˈfsʲevələdəvʲɪdʑ ˈɡʲirkʲɪn; born 17 December 1970), also known by the alias Igor Ivanovich Strelkov ( rus, И́горь Ива́ ...

and Alexander Kots, who called for full mobilization and all-out war against Ukraine. Girkin said full mobilization in Russia was the "last chance" for victory.

Russian losses

In September, Russian Defense Minister Shoigu announced that the Russian military had suffered 5,937 soldiers killed during the war, and that 90% of the wounded had returned to battle. Shoigu's statement was widely regarded to be misleading; as of 16 September, Russian forces had suffered at least 6,476 deaths confirmed by name, according to the

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...

. Even this number was confirmed to be low; the list of losses provided by the BBC could be at least 40–60% less than the number of actual military dead buried in Russia, not to mention soldiers whose bodies were left in Ukraine or were deliberately marked as "missing in action". The BBC collected data on the deaths of more than a thousand elite military professionals, including more than 70 military pilots, more than 370 marines, hundreds of paratroopers, and more than 200 GRU special forces soldiers, of which one in four were an officer. On 21 September, the General Staff of Ukraine gave a figure of 55,100 losses of Russian forces. On 12 October, citing sources close to the Kremlin, the independent Russian media project iStories reported that more than 90,000 Russian soldiers had been killed, seriously wounded or gone missing in Ukraine.

Prelude

Legislative changes

On 20 September, the day before the mobilization, the Putin-controlled

State Duma The State Duma (russian: Госуда́рственная ду́ма, r=Gosudárstvennaja dúma), commonly abbreviated in Russian as Gosduma ( rus, Госду́ма), is the lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia, while the upper house ...

of Russia

unanimously Unanimity is agreement by all people in a given situation. Groups may consider unanimous decisions as a sign of social, political or procedural agreement, solidarity, and unity. Unanimity may be assumed explicitly after a unanimous vote or impl ...

adopted amendments to include the concepts of

martial law Martial law is the imposition of direct military control of normal civil functions or suspension of civil law by a government, especially in response to an emergency where civil forces are overwhelmed, or in an occupied territory. Use Marti ...

and

war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...

time in the

Criminal Code A criminal code (or penal code) is a document that compiles all, or a significant amount of a particular jurisdiction's criminal law. Typically a criminal code will contain offences that are recognised in the jurisdiction, penalties that migh ...

, and introduced several articles related to military operations. Now, during the period of mobilization, voluntary surrender was now punishable by a 10-year prison sentence;

looting Looting is the act of stealing, or the taking of goods by force, typically in the midst of a military, political, or other social crisis, such as war, natural disasters (where law and civil enforcement are temporarily ineffective), or rioting. ...

up to 15 years, and unauthorized abandonment of a military unit up to 10 years. Criminal liability was also introduced for reserve recruits who failed to show up for training, and desertion. The law also introduced punishment for failure to comply with an order, as well as for refusing to participate in hostilities and operations. Political scientist

Ekaterina Schulmann Ekaterina Mikhailovna Schulmann (russian: Екатерина Михайловна Шульман, ; ); born 19 August 1978) is a Russian political science, political scientist specializing in legislative processes. Schulmann is an associate profe ...

noted that on the official portal of the State Duma, the bill was marked as adopted by both houses of parliament, signed by the president and published, although only the State Duma had voted for it at that moment.

Recruitment of prisoners

Beginning in July 2022, Wagner PMC representatives began visiting Russian penal colonies. According to media sources, Wagner first began a recruiting tour from the colonies for former security forces, and then switched to high-security institutions. He invited the prisoners to take part in hostilities as part of his PMC in exchange for a pardon, removal of their criminal record, a Russian passport, and cash payments (100 thousand rubles per month, 5 million in case of death). Seven days prior to the mobilization order, a video appeared to confirm the recruitment of prisoners by Wagner. In the video, Wagner leader

Yevgeny Prigozhin Yevgeny Viktorovich Prigozhin (russian: link=no, Евгений Викторович Пригожин; born 1 June 1961) is a Russian oligarch and close confidant of Russian president Vladimir Putin. Prigozhin was called "Putin's chef" because h ...

spoke to a crowd of prisoners, outlining three "sins"—desertion, "drugs and alcohol," and "marauding" (giving the example of rape)—while telling them about "two grenades you must have with you when surrendering." He told them their

tour of duty For military personnel, a tour of duty is usually a period of time spent in combat or in a hostile environment. In an army, for instance, soldiers on active duty serve 24 hours a day, seven days a week for the length of their service commitment. ...

would last six months before receiving a full pardon, that there would be no obligation to return to prison, and that individuals who initially took up the offer but then chose not to participate would be marked as deserters and executed. Prigozhin reportly gave the prisoners only five minutes to make a decision. The Russia Behind Bars foundation has collected reports about recruitment of prisoners - according to this data, 9,728 people have been recruited as of 14 September 2022.

Putin's speech

On 21 September,

announced the mobilization in Russia in a pre-recorded speech which aired at 9:00 Moscow time. The speech followed the

's amendments to the

. In his televised address, he said that Russia was at war with the " collective West," implicitly threatening the use of

nuclear weapon A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission (fission bomb) or a combination of fission and fusion reactions ( thermonuclear bomb), producing a nuclear explosion. Both bom ...

s. He said that "in order to protect our motherland, its sovereignty and territorial integrity, and to ensure the safety of our people and people in the liberated territories", he decided to declare a "partial mobilization" of the Russian

reserve force A military reserve force is a military organization whose members have military and civilian occupations. They are not normally kept under arms, and their main role is to be available when their military requires additional manpower. Reserve f ...

. In his speech, Putin stated that the mobilization was suggested to him by the

Ministry of Defense {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...

and General Staff of the Armed Forces. Putin said that only citizens with prior military experience would be eligible for mobilization, and would receive the same conditions as contract soldiers. Putin accused the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

and

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...

of "

nuclear blackmail Nuclear blackmail is a form of nuclear strategy in which an aggressor uses the threat of use of nuclear weapons to force an adversary to perform some action or make some concessions. It is a type of extortion that is related to brinkmanship. Effe ...

" against the Russian Federation, and recalled the presence of their own weapons. Putin reaffirmed his support for the annexation referendums in occupied Ukrainian territories, pointing to the referendums as a justification for Russia to mobilize. In his address to the Russian audience, Putin demonized the "Nazi" West and claimed that the Ukrainian government was sending soldiers to the front lines as "cannon fodder". Putin also claimed that the West was trying to divide Russia. Despite the successful Ukrainian counteroffensive in the Kharkiv and Kherson regions, Putin maintained in his address that Russia's goals in Ukraine had not changed.

Decree

Shortly after Putin's speech, an official decree was published enacting the announced mobilization: # Declare partial mobilization in the Russian Federation from 21 September 2022. # Сarry out the call-up of citizens of the Russian Federation for military service for mobilization in the

Armed Forces A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

of the Russian Federation. Citizens of the Russian Federation called up for military service by mobilization have the status of military personnel serving in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation under a contract. # Establish that the level of pay for citizens of the Russian Federation called up for military service for mobilization into the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation corresponds to the level of pay for military personnel serving in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation under a contract. # Contracts for military service concluded by military personnel continue to be valid until the end of the period of partial mobilization, with the exception of cases of dismissal of military personnel from military service on the grounds established by this Decree. # Establish during the period of partial mobilization the following grounds for the dismissal from military service of military personnel undergoing military service under a contract, as well as citizens of the Russian Federation called up for military service for mobilization in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation: # To the

Government of the Russian Federation The Government of Russia exercises executive power in the Russia, Russian Federation. The members of the government are the Prime Minister of Russia, prime minister, the Deputy Chairman of the Government, deputy prime ministers, and the federa ...

: #

For official use only For Official Use Only (FOUO) is an information security designation used by some governments. United States Among U.S. government information, FOUO was primarily used by the U.S. Department of Defense as a handling instruction for Con ...

''(classified)'' # The highest officials of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation shall ensure the conscription of citizens for military service for mobilization in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in the number and within the time limits determined by the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation for each constituent entity of the Russian Federation. # Grant citizens of the Russian Federation working in organizations of the military-industrial complex the right to deferment from conscription for military service for mobilization (for the period of work in these organizations). The categories of citizens of the Russian Federation who are granted the right to deferment and the procedure for granting it are determined by the Government of the Russian Federation. # This Decree shall enter into force on the day of its official publication.

Point 7

Point number 7 of the decree is classified. In the public version of the decree posted on Russian government websites, point 7 was not available and was marked as "for official use." Peskov told press that the classified clause referred to the number of reservists who could be called up for military service. The banned opposition newspaper ''

Novaya Gazeta ''Novaya Gazeta'' ( rus, Новая газета, t=New Gazette, p=ˈnovəjə ɡɐˈzʲetə) is an independent Russian newspaper known for its critical and investigative coverage of Russian political and social affairs. It is published in Mo ...

'', operating in exile, reported on September 22, 2022, that the classified point 7 gives the Defense Department permission to mobilize up to one million men. Putin's spokesperson

Meduza ''Meduza'' ( rus, Медуза, t=jellyfish) is a Russian- and English-language independent news website, headquartered in Riga. It was founded in 2014 by a group of former employees of the then-independent ''Lenta.ru'' news website. Free mob ...

'' that 1.2 million people were going to be conscripted. Peskov also denied this.

Organization

Text of decree

The

decree A decree is a legal proclamation, usually issued by a head of state (such as the president of a republic or a monarch), according to certain procedures (usually established in a constitution). It has the force of law. The particular term used for ...

does not say that only reserve servicemen are subject to conscription. It lists the grounds for dismissal from military service – age, state of health, court sentence to imprisonment. Deferment from conscription is granted to employees of the military-industrial complex. The law on mobilization also limits citizens registered with the military from leaving the country: The

deputies voted for the introduction of the concepts of "wartime" and "martial law" the day before the announcement of mobilization. Senators and deputies of the State Duma are not subject to mobilization.

Citizens to be mobilized

According to Putin's televised address, "only citizens who are currently in the reserve and, above all, those who served in the armed forces, have certain military specialties and relevant experience" would be subject to conscription. According to Shoigu, 300,000 reservists were planned to be mobilized, called from a pool of 25 million "potential fighters." Conscripts would be sent for training or retraining, after which they would be sent to Ukraine. Reservists may be banned from leaving Russia after receiving a summons. The

Institute for the Study of War The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) is a United States–based think tank founded in 2007 by Kimberly Kagan, providing research and analysis regarding issues of defense and foreign affairs. It has produced reports on the Syrian War, the War ...

estimated in March that Russia's reserve comprised over two million former conscripts or contract soldiers. Political scientist

noted that according to the text of Putin's decree on mobilization, "anyone can be called up, except for workers in the military-industrial complex." Lawyer and head of the human rights group

Agora The agora (; grc, ἀγορά, romanized: ', meaning "market" in Modern Greek) was a central public space in ancient Greek city-states. It is the best representation of a city-state's response to accommodate the social and political order of t ...

Pavel Chikov Pavel Vladimirovich Chikov (russian: Павел Владимирович Чиков; born May 19, 1978) is a Russian lawyer, human rights activist, and public figure. Chikov is the head of the Agora International Human Rights Group and a former ...

, expressed doubts about the decree; stating that the Russian Ministry of Defense in fact would decide who, from where and what quantity of soldiers to send to war." Z_symbol_on_a_billboard

On 22 September

Ramzan Kadyrov Ramzan Akhmadovich Kadyrov ce, КъадаргӀеран Ахьмат-кӏант Рамзан, translit= (born 5 October 1976) is a Russian politician who currently serves as the Head of the Chechen Republic. He was formerly affiliated to the ...

, the head of

Chechnya Chechnya ( rus, Чечня́, Chechnyá, p=tɕɪtɕˈnʲa; ce, Нохчийчоь, Noxçiyçö), officially the Chechen Republic,; ce, Нохчийн Республика, Noxçiyn Respublika is a republic of Russia. It is situated in the ...

, stated that mobilization would not be carried out in the

Chechen Republic Chechnya ( rus, Чечня́, Chechnyá, p=tɕɪtɕˈnʲa; ce, Нохчийчоь, Noxçiyçö), officially the Chechen Republic,; ce, Нохчийн Республика, Noxçiyn Respublika is a republic of Russia. It is situated in the ...

. He explained this by saying the republic had already overfulfilled their duties for force generation.

Implementation

The military commissars of some Russian regions forbade persons in the reserve to travel outside their districts of residence, and that those who had received a summons or received a mobilization order were obliged to appear at registration offices. Employers of persons who have received summons or have mobilization orders were also ordered to make settlements with such persons and ensure their appearance at said offices. Britain's

Ministry of Defence {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...

stated that many new recruits were being deployed to the front lines in Ukraine without any training or proper equipment. One conscripted soldier wrote in a social media post: "We were officially told there would be no training before going to the front. The regiment commander confirmed this information that on the (Sep.) 29th we will go to Kherson." A Russian officer told a group of mobilized men in a video posted on social media: "You're all soldiers now. Three days here. A flight. And then two weeks of military training." According to retired U.S. General

Ben Hodges Frederick Benjamin "Ben" Hodges III (born 16 April 1958) is a retired United States Army officer who served as commanding general, United States Army Europe. He is currently the Pershing Chair in Strategic Studies at the Center for European Poli ...

, "It is criminal to send untrained soldiers into combat… it's murder. I doubt these men will survive very long."

Mikhail Degtyarev Mikhail Vladimirovich Degtyarev (russian: Михаи́л Влади́мирович Дегтярёв; born 10 July 1981) is a Russian politician serving as Governor of Khabarovsk Krai since 24 September 2021. He has been a member of the Stat ...

, the governor of

Khabarovsk Krai Khabarovsk Krai ( rus, Хабаровский край, r=Khabarovsky kray, p=xɐˈbarəfskʲɪj kraj) is a federal subject (a krai) of Russia. It is geographically located in the Russian Far East and is a part of the Far Eastern Federal District ...

, said that "About half of he mobilized menwe returned home as they did not meet the selection criteria for entering the military service." In a video published by the independent news website '' The Insider'', recently mobilized Russian soldiers complained of "inhumane" conditions, weapons shortages and mistreatment by officers. Ukraine's Ministry of Defense compared Russian soldiers' living conditions to the Netflix TV show ''

Squid Game ''Squid Game'' () is a South Korean survival drama television series created by Hwang Dong-hyuk for Netflix. Its cast includes Lee Jung-jae, Park Hae-soo, Wi Ha-joon, HoYeon Jung, O Yeong-su, Heo Sung-tae, Anupam Tripathi, and Kim Joo-ryou ...

''. Zabaykalsky Krai Duma deputy Andrey Gurulev said that 1.5 million sets of uniforms had "disappeared" from the MoD. The Governor of the Omsk Region

Alexander Burkov Alexander Leonidovich Burkov (russian: Александр Леонидович Бурков; born 23 April 1967) is a Russian politician, serving as governor of Omsk Oblast from 2017. He is a member of the Central Council of A Just Russia — F ...

said that his region had a budget deficit of 13 billion rubles and had no money for mobilized men. It was reported that Russian authorities were targeting poor,

homeless Homelessness or houselessness – also known as a state of being unhoused or unsheltered – is the condition of lacking stable, safe, and adequate housing. People can be categorized as homeless if they are: * living on the streets, also kn ...

and people from poorer

regions of Russia In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...

for conscription. Russian authorities drafted detained protestors with no previous military experience, including a 17-year-old boy who was arrested at an

anti-war demonstration A political demonstration is an action by a mass group or collection of groups of people in favor of a political or other cause or people partaking in a protest against a cause of concern; it often consists of walking in a mass march formati ...

in Moscow. Sergey Shoigu (2022-10-01) 04

Some of the mobilized Russian men were killed less than two weeks after being drafted, including one man who was killed near the Ukrainian city of

Lysychansk Lysychansk ( uk, Лисича́нськ ; russian: Лисича́нск ) is a city in the Sievierodonetsk Raion of the Luhansk Oblast in Ukraine. Prior to 2020 municipal classification reforms, it was incorporated as a city of oblast significa ...

on 7 October, indicating that Russian men were being sent to the front without any basic military training, which ran contrary to Putin's promise that all mobilized civilians would receive proper training before being sent into combat. Some of the draftees bought uniforms and boots themselves before being sent into combat, without even minimal training.

Dates

The military commissar of the

Kaliningrad Oblast Kaliningrad Oblast (russian: Калинингра́дская о́бласть, translit=Kaliningradskaya oblast') is the westernmost federal subject of Russia. It is a semi-exclave situated on the Baltic Sea. The largest city and administr ...

, Colonel Yuriy Boychenko, publicly stated that mobilization summonses will be distributed before the relevant presidential decree, indicating the ambiguity about the end of the mobilization period. In

Omsk Omsk (; rus, Омск, p=omsk) is the administrative center and largest city of Omsk Oblast, Russia. It is situated in southwestern Siberia, and has a population of over 1.1 million. Omsk is the third largest city in Siberia after Novosibirsk ...

, the families of conscripts were told that there would be three waves of mobilization – from 26 September to 10 October, from 11 to 25 October, and from 26 October to 10 November. This was supported by an audio recording from a meeting from the military registration and enlistment office. Information about three waves of conscription was also confirmed from

Krasnoyarsk Krai Krasnoyarsk Krai ( rus, Красноя́рский край, r=Krasnoyarskiy kray, p=krəsnɐˈjarskʲɪj ˈkraj) is a federal subject of Russia (a krai), with its administrative center in the city of Krasnoyarsk, the third-largest city in Siber ...

. A Russian military expert speculated that a second wave might take place at the end of 2022. However, on 11 October 2022, Yury Shvyktin, deputy head of the State Duma’s defense committee, stated that mobilization would not be divided into phases, and that statements about first and second phases were “groundless”. On 12 October, Kremlin spokesman

Dmitry Peskov Dmitry Sergeyevich Peskov ( rus, Дмитрий Сергеевич Песков, p=pʲɪˈskof; born 17 October 1967) is a Russian diplomat and the press secretary for Russian President Vladimir Putin.Sergei Shoigu Sergei Kuzhugetovich Shoigu, ; tyv, Сергей Күжүгет оглу Шойгу, translit=Sergey Kyzhyget oglu Shoygu, . (russian: Сергей Кужугетович Шойгу; born 21 May 1955) is a Russian politician who has served as ...

reported to Russian President

that no new events were planned within the framework of partial mobilization. Military registration and enlistment offices would continue to work with volunteers and contract soldiers. It has been speculated that officially, mobilization will only end after Putin signs the relevant decree; Putin himself has questioned this point of view. On 1 November 2022, Kremlin spokesman

Dmitry Peskov Dmitry Sergeyevich Peskov ( rus, Дмитрий Сергеевич Песков, p=pʲɪˈskof; born 17 October 1967) is a Russian diplomat and the press secretary for Russian President Vladimir Putin. On 5 November, Putin signed a decree that allows people convicted of serious crimes to be mobilized into the Russian army. The exemption does not include people convicted of sex crimes involving minors and crimes against the state such as treason, spying or terrorism. This could allow “hundreds of thousands” of people to be mobilized. Putin also claimed that 18,000 more people have been mobilized over the goal of 300,000.

Reactions

In Russia

On 22 September, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council

Dmitry Medvedev Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev ( rus, links=no, Дмитрий Анатольевич Медведев, p=ˈdmʲitrʲɪj ɐnɐˈtolʲjɪvʲɪtɕ mʲɪdˈvʲedʲɪf; born 14 September 1965) is a Russian politician who has been serving as the dep ...

said that newly mobilized recruits could be used to protect the newly annexed territories in Russian-occupied Ukraine.

Roskomnadzor The Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media, abbreviated as ''Roskomnadzor'' (RKN) (russian: Роскомнадзор �КН, is the Russian federal executive agency responsible for monitoring, co ...

demanded Russian media to write about mobilization using information "exclusively" from Russian government sources and threatened disobeying outlets with fines of up to 5 million rubles and blocking. Imprisoned

Russian opposition Opposition to the government of President Vladimir Putin in Russia can be divided between the parliamentary opposition parties in the State Duma and the various non-systemic opposition organizations. While the former are largely viewed as bei ...

politician

Alexei Navalny Alexei Anatolievich Navalny ( rus, links=no, Алексей Анатольевич Навальный, , ɐlʲɪkˈsʲej ɐnɐˈtolʲjɪvʲɪtɕ nɐˈvalʲnɨj; born 4 June 1976) is a Opposition to Vladimir Putin in Russia, Russian opposition ...

said: "I don’t understand one thing. The army has a million people, Rosgvardia has 350,000 people, the Interior Ministry has another million and a half or two million people, and the Federal Penitentiary Service is full of people. Why are they drafting civilians?" In the

Levada Center The Levada Center is a Russian independent, nongovernmental polling and sociological research organization. It is named after its founder, the first Russian professor of sociology Yuri Levada (1930–2006). The center traces back its history to ...

poll, conducted from 22-28 September, 47% of surveyed Russians said they had felt "anxiety, fear, and horror" following Vladimir Putin’s announcement on September 21. Another 23% said they had felt "shock," while 13% felt "anger and indignation" and 23% said they felt "pride for Russia."

Markets

Russian markets reacted to the introduction of mobilization with a moderate collapse. By 10:43 Moscow Time, the MOEX Index had fallen by more than 4%, and the

RTS Index The RTS Index (RTSI; ) is a free-float capitalization-weighted index of 50 Russian stocks traded on the Moscow Exchange, calculated in US dollars. The index was introduced on September 1, 1995, with the formation of the Russian Trading System (RT ...

by 5%. After the opening of the exchange, the

US dollar The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...

against the

ruble The ruble (American English) or rouble (Commonwealth English) (; rus, рубль, p=rublʲ) is the currency unit of Belarus and Russia. Historically, it was the currency of the Russian Empire and of the Soviet Union. , currencies named ''rub ...

rose to 62.61 rubles in less than two hours (+2.01 rubles by the close of trading on 20 September).

Russian officials and their families

A large Press Conference of Vladimir Putin (2019-12-19) 22

Russians critical of the mobilizations have used social media and other electronic means to enquire en masse Russia's top officials and deputies, who supported the war and mobilization, whether they themselves or their sons would go to the front. There have been a few officials who intended to do so, but most either refused to answer or gave excuses, such as Alexey Mishustin (premier

Mikhail Mishustin Mikhail Vladimirovich Mishustin ( rus, links=no, Михаил Владимирович Мишустин, , mixɐˈil vlɐˈdʲimʲirəvʲitɕ miˈʂusʲtʲɪn; born 3 March 1966) is a Russian politician and economist serving as the prime minist ...

's son), ignored the citizens' questions (Moscow city council deputy Andrey Zyuganov, the grandson of

Gennady Zyuganov Gennady Andreyevich Zyuganov (russian: Генна́дий Андре́евич Зюга́нов; born 26 June 1944) is a Russian politician, who has been the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation and served as ...

) or blocked the person asking (

Dmitry Rogozin Dmitry Olegovich Rogozin (russian: link=no, Дми́трий Оле́гович Рого́зин; born 21 December 1963) is a Russian politician who served as director general of Roscosmos from 2018 to July 2022. He previously served as deputy p ...

Nikolay Peskov Nikolay Dmitriyevich Peskov (; born 3 February 1990), also known as Nikolai Choles (Николай Чоулз) is the son of Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov. Biography Peskov was born 3 February 1990 in Moscow. He is the eldest son o ...

, the son of Putin's spokesman

nepotism Nepotism is an advantage, privilege, or position that is granted to relatives and friends in an occupation or field. These fields may include but are not limited to, business, politics, academia, entertainment, sports, fitness, religion, an ...

in Russia. State Duma deputy Mikhail Matveyev, who opposed the invasion of Ukraine, suggested that Russian governors and lawmakers supporting war and mobilization should enlist in the army and go to fight in Ukraine.

, the governor of the

Khabarovsk region Khabarovsk Krai ( rus, Хабаровский край, r=Khabarovsky kray, p=xɐˈbarəfskʲɪj kraj) is a federal subject (a krai) of Russia. It is geographically located in the Russian Far East and is a part of the Far Eastern Federal District ...

, said he would like to go to Ukraine as a volunteer, but could not because of his duties as governor. Residents of the region started a petition proposing to remove Degtyarev from the post of governor and send him to fight in Ukraine, which was signed by several tens of thousands of people. Russian State Duma Chairman

Vyacheslav Volodin Vyacheslav Viktorovich Volodin (russian: Вячеслав Викторович Володин; born 4 February 1964) is a Russian politician who currently serves as the 10th Chairman of the State Duma (since 5 October 2016). He is a former ai ...

said that the

would support deputies who want to enlist in the army and go to war in Ukraine. Putin loyalist Dmitry Vyatkin, who authored a number of restrictive bills, said in a speech that deputies should not give up their mandate and go to fight at the front, because they have the duty and responsibility to take care of the citizens of Russia and solve domestic problems.

called members of the

Russian parliament The Federal Assembly ( rus, Федера́льное Собра́ние, r=Federalnoye Sobraniye, p=fʲɪdʲɪˈralʲnəjə sɐˈbranʲɪjə) is the national legislature of the Russian Federation, according to the Constitution of the Russian F ...

"useless" and said that the "deputies should go to the front", adding that "those people who have been talking from tribunes for years need to start doing something."

Margarita Simonyan Margarita Simonovna Simonyan (russian: link=no, Маргарита Симоновна Симоньян; born 6 April 1980) is a Russian journalist. She is the editor-in-chief of the Russian state-controlled media organisations RT (formerly R ...

, the head of state broadcaster RT, complained why the "millions of security officers and guards" who are being used in Russia were not sent to the front. Speaking of the chaotic mobilization and reports of old, disabled or otherwise unfit men getting called up into the army, Vladimir Solovyov, the host of the Russian State TV show ''

Evening with Vladimir Solovyov Evening with Vladimir Solovyov (russian: Вечер с Владимиром Соловьёвым) is a Russian television talk show on Russia-1. The television show is hosted by Vladimir Solovyov, a controversial Russian television personalit ...

'', suggested that recruitment officers who call up the wrong people should either be shot or sent to the front to fight themselves.

Within the Russian military

On 4 October 2022, a video appeared of a man in front of a group of soldiers from

Omsk Oblast Omsk Oblast (russian: О́мская о́бласть, ''Omskaya oblast'') is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast), located in southwestern Siberia. The oblast has an area of . Its population is 1,977,665 ( 2010 Census) with the majority, 1.12 ...

with questions for the military leadership. He stated calmly that they "were all raised by alarm" after mobilization was declared, and that they "left

heir Inheritance is the practice of receiving private property, titles, debts, entitlements, privileges, rights, and obligations upon the death of an individual. The rules of inheritance differ among societies and have changed over time. Officiall ...

families at home, some have children, wives are on maternity leave." # His first question was about compensation for service in "payment" and "material support," mentioning that their "families need it very much," that "from other regions the guys are paid, everything is stable," and that this is "the most important question." # His second question was "about the unregulated," recalling that his bank told him to "write a statement, or ave his wife write onefor credit" to pay "loans, mortgages," and other "monthly payments" while serving, which he "didn't have time for" because "the order came in the evening" before he "was supposed to come to the military command." He then proposed that "Credits and vacations should be provided. At least a vacation." He concluded the video saying "We are ready to go, we are here. Support us, our families" to applause from the other soldiers.

Exodus of Russians

Russian citizens reportedly purchased plane tickets to other countries following the mobilization. Before the televised address of Russian President Vladimir Putin, all air tickets to

Istanbul Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...

on 21 September, as well as almost all tickets to

Yerevan Yerevan ( , , hy, Երևան , sometimes spelled Erevan) is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Y ...

, were sold. Russia's

Federal Security Service The Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation (FSB) RF; rus, Федеральная служба безопасности Российской Федерации (ФСБ России), Federal'naya sluzhba bezopasnosti Rossiyskoy Feder ...

stated that 261,000 Russians had already left Russia as of 26 September. On 6 October, the Kremlin denied reports that 700,000 Russians have fled the country since Putin announced the mobilisation order. After the announcement of mobilization, many kilometers of traffic jams formed at Russia's borders with

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

Belarus Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by R ...

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

and

Mongolia Mongolia; Mongolian script: , , ; lit. "Mongol Nation" or "State of Mongolia" () is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south. It covers an area of , with a population of just 3.3 million, ...

: along the Georgian border, vehicles were lined up for at least and near Kazakhstan, cars were abandoned as motorists fled. Finland,

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

and the

Baltic countries The Baltic states, et, Balti riigid or the Baltic countries is a geopolitical term, which currently is used to group three countries: Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. All three countries are members of NATO, the European Union, the Eurozone, ...

announced they would not offer refuge to Russians fleeing mobilization. Chair of the Senate of Kazakhstan

Mäulen Äşimbaev Maulen Sagatkhanovich Ashimbayev (russian: Маулен Сагатханович Ашимбаев, born 28 January 1971) is a Kazakh politician serving as the Chair and the member of the Senate of Kazakhstan. He served as the First Deputy Head of ...

announced that Kazakhstan would not issue permanent residence permits to Russian citizens evading mobilization without permission from the Russian government. More than 200,000 Russian men fled to Kazakhstan. In the first week after the announcement, Georgia took in the most refugees. Two men fled Russia by boat, landing in the small town of

Gambell, Alaska Gambell ( ess, Sivuqaq, russian: Гамбелл) is a city in the Nome Census Area of the U.S. state of Alaska. Located on St. Lawrence Island, it had a population of 640 at the 2020 census, down slightly from 649 in 2000. History ''Siv ...

on 4 October and sought for asylum. On 27 September 2022, White House press secretary

Karine Jean-Pierre Karine Jean-Pierre (born August 13, 1974) is a French-American political advisor and has served as the White House press secretary since May 13, 2022. She is the first Black person and the first openly lesbian woman to be White House press secre ...

encouraged Russian men trying to escape being called up to fight in Ukraine to apply for

asylum in the United States The United States recognizes the right of asylum for refugees as specified by international and federal law. A specified number of legally defined refugees who are granted ''refugee status'' outside the United States are annually admitted unde ...

. Russians heading to

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

by boat in hopes of evading Putin's mobilization have been denied entry in most cases.

Help for army conscripts

Numerous human rights and public organizations expressed their readiness to help mobilized Russians. Among them are

, Committee of Soldiers' Mothers, Conscript's School, Movement of Conscious Objectors from Military Service, Call to Conscience, Citizen and Army.

Protests

The

Vesna Vesna (Cyrillic: Весна) was a mythological female character associated with youth and springtime in early Slavic mythology, particularly within Croatia, Serbia, North Macedonia and Slovenia. Along with her male companion Vesnik, she was asso ...

movement called for wide-ranging protest action. The action called "No mogilization ''(grave-ization)''" was scheduled for the evening of 21 September. Protests against the mobilization for the war with Ukraine occurred throughout Russia. Protesters in

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

chanted the slogan "Putin to the trenches!" As of 22:00 Moscow time on 21 September, more than 1,233 people had already been detained in 38 cities.

Moscow police The Moscow Police (russian: Московская полиция), officially the Main Directorate of Internal Affairs of the City of Moscow (russian: Главное управление внутренних дел по городу Москве) ...

intelligence received that the detained men were handed summons to the military registration and enlistment office. Peskov noted that the delivery of subpoenas to detainees did not contradict the law. In Sokolinaya Gora, a detainee was threatened with a criminal case and 10-year prison sentence for refusing to receive a summons. The Moscow prosecutor's office warned organizing or participating in anti-war protests could lead to up to 15 years in prison. In

Grozny Grozny ( rus, Грозный, p=ˈgroznɨj; ce, Соьлжа-ГӀала, translit=Sölƶa-Ġala), also spelled Groznyy, is the capital city of Chechnya, Russia. The city lies on the Sunzha River. According to the 2010 census, it had a pop ...

several dozen women tried to hold a protest rally against mobilization. All of them were detained. On 22 September, in

Babayurt Babayurt (russian: Бабаюрт, kum, Бабав-юрт) is a rural locality (a selo) and the administrative center of Babayurtovsky District of the Republic of Dagestan, Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a trans ...

Republic of Dagestan Dagestan ( ; rus, Дагеста́н, , dəɡʲɪˈstan, links=yes), officially the Republic of Dagestan (russian: Респу́блика Дагеста́н, Respúblika Dagestán, links=no), is a republics of Russia, republic of Russia sit ...

, the federal highway was blocked at the exit from the village. A group of villagers gathered near the local military registration and enlistment office, where there was a clash between them and a government employee. On 24 September, anti-mobilization rallies organized by Vesna took place in many Russian cities. The rallies were marked by mass detentions not only of protesters, but also of ordinary passers-by. According to

OVD-Info OVD-Info () is an independent Russian human rights media project aimed at combating political persecution. History OVD-Info was founded in December 2011 by Moscow journalist Grigory Okhotin and programmer Daniil Beilinson. They witnessed mass ...

, more than 750 people were detained by 22:30

Moscow time Moscow Time (MSK, russian: моско́вское вре́мя) is the time zone for the city of Moscow, Russia, and most of western Russia, including Saint Petersburg. It is the second-westernmost of the eleven time zones of Russia. It has b ...

. On 25 September, the women of

Yakutsk Yakutsk (russian: Якутск, p=jɪˈkutsk; sah, Дьокуускай, translit=Djokuuskay, ) is the capital city of the Sakha Republic, Russia, located about south of the Arctic Circle. Fueled by the mining industry, Yakutsk has become one of ...

went to a rally under the slogans "We will not give up our husbands," "No to genocide," and "No to war". People gathered in , a traditional round dance symbolizing the blessing of mothers for the safe return of their husbands and sons. The women were soon dispersed by the security forces. On the same day, residents of

Endirey Endirey (russian: Эндирей; OKATO: 82254815001) is a village (''selo'') in the Khasavyurt District of the Republic of Dagestan in Russia. It is the center of the Endireyskoe Rural Settlement and has a population of 7,863 (2015). Endirey ...

Dagestan Dagestan ( ; rus, Дагеста́н, , dəɡʲɪˈstan, links=yes), officially the Republic of Dagestan (russian: Респу́блика Дагеста́н, Respúblika Dagestán, links=no), is a republic of Russia situated in the North C ...

, took part in a rally against mobilization. The police fired live rounds into the air in an attempt to disperse the rally. On 26 September, a man set himself on fire at the

Ryazan Ryazan ( rus, Рязань, p=rʲɪˈzanʲ, a=ru-Ryazan.ogg) is the largest city and administrative center of Ryazan Oblast, Russia. The city is located on the banks of the Oka River in Central Russia, southeast of Moscow. As of the 2010 Census ...

bus station. On 30 September, rapper

Walkie T Ivan Vitalyevich Petunin (russian: Иван Витальевич Петунин; 24 May 199530 September 2022), better known as Walkie, was a Russian hip-hop artist and battle rapper. Petunin died by suicide following the 2022 Russian mobiliza ...

committed suicide, saying in a video posted to Telegram that he refused to kill another man. On 5 October, recently mobilized Russian soldiers protested in

Belgorod Oblast Belgorod Oblast (russian: Белгоро́дская о́бласть, ''Belgorodskaya oblast'') is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the city of Belgorod. Population: History At the turn of the 17th cent ...

over their poor living conditions and lack of equipment. On 15 October, relatives of men drafted from the

Bryansk Oblast Bryansk Oblast (russian: Бря́нская о́бласть, ''Bryanskaya oblast''), also known as Bryanshchina (russian: Брянщина, ) is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is th ...

released a video appeal to Vladimir Putin, asking him to intervene to bring their sons and husbands back home.

Attacks

After the announcement of mobilization,

's legal team promised to render assistance to anyone who would try to evade conscription. According to

Ivan Zhdanov Ivan Yurievich Zhdanov (; born August 17, 1988) is a Russian politician and lawyer. He was the director of the Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) and is a member of the Central Council of the Russia of the Future political party. Biography Iva ...

, Navalny's headquarters would support any form of protest over mobilization, including arson of military registration offices throughout the country. On 21 September, a recruiting station was set on fire in

Nizhny Novgorod Nizhny Novgorod ( ; rus, links=no, Нижний Новгород, a=Ru-Nizhny Novgorod.ogg, p=ˈnʲiʐnʲɪj ˈnovɡərət ), colloquially shortened to Nizhny, from the 13th to the 17th century Novgorod of the Lower Land, formerly known as Gork ...

. On the night of 21–22 September in

Lomonosov Mikhail Vasilyevich Lomonosov (; russian: Михаил (Михайло) Васильевич Ломоносов, p=mʲɪxɐˈil vɐˈsʲilʲjɪvʲɪtɕ , a=Ru-Mikhail Vasilyevich Lomonosov.ogg; – ) was a Russian Empire, Russian polymath, s ...

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

, a registration office was set on fire. In the city of

Gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...

Orenburg Oblast Orenburg Oblast (russian: Оренбургская область, ''Orenburgskaya oblast'') is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the city of Orenburg. From 1938 to 1957, it bore the name ''Chkalov Oblast'' () ...

, unknown people also tried to set fire to a military recruitment building. In

Tolyatti Tolyatti ( rus, Толья́тти, p=tɐlʲˈjætʲ(ː)ɪ), also known as Togliatti, formerly known as Stavropol (1737–1964), is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city in Samara Oblast, Russia. It is the largest city in Russia which doe ...

, an unknown person threw a Molotov cocktail at the city hall building. On 23 September, it was reported that military recruitment offices were set on fire in the cities of Svobodny,

Khabarovsk Khabarovsk ( rus, Хабaровск, a=Хабаровск.ogg, r=Habárovsk, p=xɐˈbarəfsk) is the largest types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative centre of Khabarovsk Krai, Russia,Law #109 located from the China ...

Kamyshin Kamyshin (russian: Камы́шин) is a city in Volgograd Oblast, Russia, located on the right bank of the Volgograd Reservoir of the Volga River, in the estuary of the Kamyshinka River. Its population was Past populations for Kamyshin include ...

, and the village of Tselinnoye. On 24 September, the military office in

Kansk Kansk (russian: Канск) is a town in Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia, located on both banks of the Kan River. Population: History and economy Founded in 1628 as a Russian fort, it was transferred to its current location in 1636 and granted town st ...

and the office of

United Russia United Russia ( rus, Единая Россия, Yedinaya Rossiya, (j)ɪˈdʲinəjə rɐˈsʲijə) is a Conservatism in Russia, Russian conservative List of political parties in Russia, political party. As the largest party in Russia, it hold ...

in Salavat were set on fire. On 25 September, there were attempts to set fire to registration offices in

Ruzayevka Ruzayevka (russian: Руза́евка; mdf, Орозай, ''Orozaj''; myv, Оразай ош, ''Orazaj oš'') is a town in the Republic of Mordovia, Russia, located on the Insar River, southwest of Saransk. Population: History The first set ...

Chernyakhovsk Chernyakhovsk (russian: Черняхо́вск) – known prior to 1946 by its German name of (Old Prussian: Instrāpils, lt, Įsrutis; pl, Wystruć) – is a town in the Kaliningrad Oblast of Russia, where it is the administrative center of ...

, Kirovsk, village administrations in Bereslavka (

Volgograd Oblast Volgograd Oblast (russian: Волгогра́дская о́бласть, ''Volgogradskaya oblast'') is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject (an oblast) of Russia, located in the Volga region, Volga region of Southern Russia. Its adminis ...

) and (

Leningrad Oblast Leningrad Oblast ( rus, Ленинградская область, Leningradskaya oblast’, lʲɪnʲɪnˈgratskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ, , ) is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast). It was established on 1 August 1927, a ...

), and in

Uryupinsk Uryupinsk (russian: Урю́пинск) is a town in Volgograd Oblast, Russia, located northwest of Volgograd on the Khopyor River. Population: Etymology There are two theories of the historical background for the town's name. One is that it i ...

and

Tarusa Tarusa (russian: Тару́са), also known as Tarussa (), is a town and the administrative center of Tarussky District in Kaluga Oblast, Russia, located on the left bank of the Oka River, northeast of Kaluga, the administrative center of the ...

. On 26 September, during a meeting with recently mobilized recruits in

Ust-Ilimsk Ust-Ilimsk ( rus, Усть-Илимск, p=usʲtʲ ɪˈlʲimsk) is a town in Irkutsk Oblast, Russia, located on the Angara River. Population: 53,000 (1977). History An '' ostrog'' (fortress) was built on the present site of the town in the 1 ...

(

Irkutsk Oblast Irkutsk Oblast (russian: Ирку́тская о́бласть, Irkutskaya oblast; bua, Эрхүү можо, Erkhüü mojo) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast), located in southeastern Siberia in the basins of the Angara, Lena, and Nizh ...

), a man opened fire at the head of the draft board, who ended up in intensive care.Частичная «могилизация». Что делать, если вас могут отправить на фронт
// Север. Реалии According to local media, before opening fire, the attacker said: “Now we’ll all go home!”.

In Ukraine

Ukrainian President

Volodymyr Zelenskyy Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy, ; russian: Владимир Александрович Зеленский, Vladimir Aleksandrovich Zelenskyy, (born 25 January 1978; also transliterated as Zelensky or Zelenskiy) is a Ukrainian politicia ...

called on Russians to not submit to "criminal mobilization", saying "Russian commanders do not care about the lives of Russians — they just need to replenish the empty spaces left by the dead, wounded, those who fled or the Russian soldiers that were captured." Ukrainian authorities said that Russians forcibly mobilized and sent to Ukraine could surrender. According to the Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister

Iryna Vereshchuk Iryna Andriyivna Vereshchuk ( uk, Ірина Андріївна Верещук, russian: Ирина Андреевна Верещук, Irina Andreyevna Vereshchuk; born 30 November 1979) is a Ukrainian social activist, politician, and former Peo ...

, those who surrender will be guaranteed security. In a statement issued by the Ukrainian Presidential Office on 24 September, President Zelenskyy outlined a three-point promise to any Russian soldier who chooses to surrender: # "First, you will be treated in a civilized manner, in accordance with all conventions." # "Second, no one will know the circumstances of your surrender, no one in Russia will know that your surrender was voluntary." # "And third, if you are afraid to return to Russia and do not want an exchange, we will find a way to ensure this as well." He ended this outline saying that "Ukraine will do everything for its victory" and that "no tricks will help the occupier."

Oleksiy Danilov Oleksiy Miacheslavovych Danilov ( uk, Олексій Мячеславович Данілов; born 7 September 1962) is a Ukrainian politician. He is the current Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council (since 3 October 2019). ...

, Secretary of the

National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine The National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (NSDC; uk, Рада національної безпеки і оборони України, RNBO or RNBOU) is the coordinating state body of the executive power under the President of Ukrai ...

, called the decision on partial mobilization a "complex program for the disposal of Russians." In an interview with ''

Bild ''Bild'' (or ''Bild-Zeitung'', ; ) is a German tabloid newspaper published by Axel Springer SE. The paper is published from Monday to Saturday; on Sundays, its sister paper ''Bild am Sonntag'' ("''Bild on Sunday''") is published instead, which ...

'', Zelenskyy noted that Ukraine was waiting for such a step from Putin, summarizing: “Putin wants to drown Ukraine in blood. But also in the blood of our own soldiers.” For Ukrainian society, the Russian mobilization did not enter national news, as it had been discussed since the start of the conflict. Online, the news was met with memes about the “couch troops of the Russian Federation” (people who called for a tougher war online and now have the opportunity to actually go to the front and put their ideas into practice) and compensation for the families of Russian military casualties.

International

Government representatives and diplomats from European countries and the United States described Putin's decision to mobilize as a sign of Russia's failure in the war with Ukraine, a step toward escalation, and an indication of panic in the Russian leadership. Some representatives noted that their governments will continue to provide military assistance to Ukraine to protect against Russian aggression. Other Western politicians have also expressed disregard of Putin's threats of nuclear escalation. * Czech Foreign Minister

Jan Lipavský Jan Lipavský (born 2 July 1985) is a Czech politician and IT manager, who has served as Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic since December 2021, in the Cabinet of Petr Fiala. A member of the Czech Pirate Party, he was previously a ...

stated that the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

will not issue humanitarian visas to Russians who have fled to avoid mobilization. The Czech Republic stopped issuing visas to Russian citizens in February 2022. *

Prime Minister of Estonia The Prime Minister of Estonia ( Estonian: ''peaminister'') is the head of government of the Republic of Estonia. The prime minister is nominated by the president after appropriate consultations with the parliamentary factions and confirmed by ...

Kaja Kallas Kaja Kallas (; born 18 June 1977) is an Estonian politician who has been serving as the prime minister of Estonia since 2021. The leader of the Reform Party since 2018, she was a Member of Parliament from 2019 to 2021, and previously between 2 ...

announced that the country would not provide asylum to Russians fleeing mobilization. *

French President The president of France, officially the president of the French Republic (french: Président de la République française), is the executive head of state of France, and the commander-in-chief of the French Armed Forces. As the presidency is ...

Emmanuel Macron Emmanuel Macron (; born 21 December 1977) is a French politician who has served as President of France since 2017. ''Ex officio'', he is also one of the two Co-Princes of Andorra. Prior to his presidency, Macron served as Minister of Econ ...

said he had "no rational explanation" for the steps of Vladimir Putin in Ukraine, adding that it was likely "a combination of

ressentiment In philosophy and psychology, ''ressentiment'' (; ) is one of the forms of resentment or hostility. The concept was of particular interest to some 19th century thinkers, most notably Friedrich Nietzsche. According to their use, ''ressentiment'' is ...

, the strategy of hegemony in the

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...

and, I would say, the consequences of

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, isolation." *

German Chancellor The chancellor of Germany, officially the federal chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany,; often shortened to ''Bundeskanzler''/''Bundeskanzlerin'', / is the head of the federal government of Germany and the commander in chief of the Ger ...

Olaf Scholz Olaf Scholz (; born ) is a German politician who has served as the chancellor of Germany since 8 December 2021. A member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany, Social Democratic Party (SPD), he previously served as Vice Chancellor of German ...

called the mobilization "an act of desperation" that will "make everything worse," noting that he "completely underestimated" from the beginning the willingness of the Ukrainian people to resist. German Interior Minister

Nancy Faeser Nancy Faeser (born 13 July 1970) is a German lawyer and politician of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), serving as Federal Minister of the Interior and Community in Chancellor Olaf Scholz's cabinet since 2021. She served as a member of the St ...

said that "Deserters threatened with serious repression can, as a rule, obtain international protection in Germany." * In response to the move, the IDF issued an order to return to Israel all Israeli soldiers who are on vacation in Russia, and a blanket ban on departures from Israel to Russia for IDF soldiers. In addition, the Israeli Foreign Ministry issued a travel warning for Israelis with Russian citizenship to Russia, warning them that they could be conscripted. * Kazakh President

Kassym-Jomart Tokayev Kassym-Jomart Kemeluly Tokayev ( kk, Қасым-Жомарт Кемелұлы Тоқаев, Qasym-Jomart Kemelūly Toqaev ; born 17 May 1953) is a Kazakh politician and diplomat who is currently serving as the President of Kazakhstan since 12 J ...

stated that

would help fleeing Russians, saying that "Most of them are forced to leave because of the current hopeless situation." *

Former A former is an object, such as a template, gauge or cutting die, which is used to form something such as a boat's hull. Typically, a former gives shape to a structure that may have complex curvature. A former may become an integral part of the ...

President of Mongolia The president of Mongolia ( mn, Монгол Улсын Ерөнхийлөгч, ''Mongol Ulsyn Yerönkhiilögch'') is the executive head of state of Mongolia.Montsame News Agency. ''Mongolia''. 2006, , p. 42 The current president is Ukhnaagiin ...

Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj (, ''Cahiagín Elbegdorj'' ; also referred to as Mongolyin Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj and Tsakhia Elbegdorj; born 30 March 1963) is a Mongolian politician who served as President of Mongolia from 2009 to 2017. He previously ser ...

published a video on the

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

channel of the World Federation of Mongols urging Putin to stop the war, honouring Russian refugees bound to "start freeing

country from dictatorship," welcoming

Buryats The Buryats ( bua, Буряад, Buryaad; mn, Буриад, Buriad) are a Mongolic peoples, Mongolic ethnic group native to southeastern Siberia who speak the Buryat language. They are one of the two largest indigenous groups in Siberia, the oth ...

Tuvans The Tuvans ( tyv, Тывалар, Tıvalar) are a TurkicOtto Maenchen-Helfen, Journey to Tuva, p. 169 ethnic group indigenous to Siberia who live in Russia (Tuva), Mongolia, and China. They speak Tuvan, a Siberian Turkic language. They are als ...

, and

Kalmyks The Kalmyks ( Kalmyk: Хальмгуд, ''Xaľmgud'', Mongolian: Халимагууд, ''Halimaguud''; russian: Калмыки, translit=Kalmyki, archaically anglicised as ''Calmucks'') are a Mongolic ethnic group living mainly in Russia, w ...

"used as nothing more than cannon fodder," instructing Russian draftees not to "shoot Ukrainians" and "kill that country," nor "their freedom," and praising the "brave people" of Ukraine and President Zelenskyy. According to him, different countries should accept representatives of small nationalities whom the Russian authorities send to war. In particular, Mongolia is ready to shelter refugees. *

Dutch Prime Minister The prime minister of the Netherlands ( nl, Minister-president van Nederland) is the head of the executive branch of the Government of the Netherlands. Although the monarch is the ''de jure'' head of government, the prime minister ''de facto'' ...

Mark Rutte Mark Rutte (; born 14 February 1967) is a Dutch politician who has served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands since 2010 and Leader of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) since 2006. After a business career working for Unilever ...

called Putin's actions a "sign of panic," adding that the threat of nuclear weapons did not worry him. * In an interview with

PBS News The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educati ...

President of Poland The president of Poland ( pl, Prezydent RP), officially the president of the Republic of Poland ( pl, Prezydent Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej), is the head of state of Poland. Their rights and obligations are determined in the Constitution of Polan ...

Andrzej Duda Andrzej Sebastian Duda (; born 16 May 1972) is a Polish lawyer and politician who has served as president of Poland since 6 August 2015. Before becoming president, Andrzej Duda was a member of Polish Lower House (Sejm) from 2011 to 2014 and the ...

called the mobilization as "an attempt to save face" by Russia. * British Secretary of State for Defense Ben Wallace said that the mobilization is evidence of Russia's defeat. *

United States Ambassador to Ukraine The history of ambassadors of the United States to Ukraine began in 1992. Until 1991, the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic had been a republics of the Soviet Union, constituent SSR of the Soviet Union. History Upon the breakup of the USSR, the ...

Bridget A. Brink Bridget Ann Brink is an American diplomat serving as the List of ambassadors of the United States to Ukraine, United States Ambassador to Ukraine. In April 2022, she was nominated by President Joe Biden to be the United States ambassador to Ukra ...

noted that "fake referendums and mobilization are signs of Russia's weakness and failure." Speaking at the

United Nations Security Council The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the Organs of the United Nations, six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international security, international peace and security, recommending the admi ...

, Secretary of State

Antony J. Blinken Antony John Blinken (born April 16, 1962) is an American government official and diplomat serving as the 71st United States secretary of state since January 26, 2021. He previously served as Deputy National Security Advisor (United States), depu ...

castigated Putin for "choosing not to end the war, but to expand it" despite the "remarkable unity" against Russia's efforts by many countries speaking of "consequences of this war and the need to end it," as well the "serious questions and concerns" from Moscow's allies. He remarked on Putin's mobilization announcement taking place "this week, when most of the world gathers at the United Nations, to add fuel to the fire that he started," which Blinken believed showed "utter contempt for the UN charter, the General Assembly, and this council"; also noting that Putin's threats to retaliate to post-annexation attacks with "all weapon systems available" took place nine months after Russia's signed a joint statement in the council reading that "nuclear war can never be won and must never be fought." He reminded the council of the protest and resistance among the Russian people, quoting the anti-mobilization protesters' chant of "Let our children live." Germany offered asylum to Russian oppositionists and conscripts who did not want to go to war with Ukraine. In contrast, the

Finnish Foreign Ministry The Ministry for Foreign Affairs (MFA) is a Ministry (government department), ministry in the Cabinet of Finland, Finnish Government and is responsible for preparing and implementing the government's foreign policy. Organisation The ministry i ...

said that the country is preparing to introduce a complete ban on entry for Russian citizens on Schengen visas. Estonia announced that they would close entry for all Russians who participated in the war with Ukraine, and Latvia refused to issue humanitarian visas to Russians who evade mobilization, citing security concerns.

Analysis

According to the

, mobilization is unlikely to allow Russia to significantly increase its combat power. According to lawyer Alexei Tabalov, writing for The Insider, one of the objectives of amending the laws on desertion was the "enslavement of military personnel at the front." Other experts say that Russia suffers from a lack of infrastructure to train and equip the mobilized, caused by heavy losses of equipment and ammunition on the battlefield and the abolition of many logistics and management structures that once allowed the countries of the former Soviet Union to quickly train and arm mobilized conscripts. Jean-Christophe Noël, associate researcher at IFRI, said that "One of the Russian weaknesses is joint-army combats, and their reservists are not at all prepared for that. They would be used as

cannon fodder Cannon fodder is an informal, derogatory term for combatants who are regarded or treated by government or military command as expendable in the face of enemy fire. The term is generally used in situations where combatants are forced to deliberately ...

in any attempt at an offensive." ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'' noted that by announcing the mobilization, Putin took a big risk – according to polls, young men may begin to express opposition to the war due to the mobilization decree. According to the analysis of economists

Oleg Itskhoki Oleg Itskhoki (born in Moscow on January 7, 1983) is a Russian-American economist specialized on macroeconomics and international economics and (as of 2022) a professor of economics at the University of California, Los Angeles. He won the John Bate ...

and Maxim Mironov, Russia may lose more than 10% of men aged 20–29 as a result of losses in the war and emigration. After the end of the war, Russia expects a surge in crime. Also, a significant number of children, especially in poor regions, will be left without fathers, which will lead to a new surge in crime in 5–10 years, when these children become teenagers. Doug Klain, a nonresident fellow at the

Atlantic Council The Atlantic Council is an American think tank in the field of international affairs, favoring Atlanticism, founded in 1961. It manages sixteen regional centers and functional programs related to international security and global economic prosp ...

’s Eurasia Center, wrote that "Sending untrained, underequipped, and largely unwilling men to fight in Ukraine will be a slaughter with little precedent in modern war fighting... In the United States, new Army recruits need 10 weeks of basic training, at a bare minimum, to be ready for combat." Gustaf Gressel, a senior policy fellow at the Berlin office of the

European Council on Foreign Relations The European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) is a pan-European think tank with offices in seven European capitals. Launched in October 2007, it conducts research on European foreign and security policy and provides a meeting space for decisi ...

, said that "My gut feeling is that Putin doesn't really care about the inferior quality f new troops being assembled So my guess is that the overall aim of this is to make Ukraine run out of bullets before Russia runs out of soldiers."

Casualties

As of 23 December 2022,

BBC News Russian BBC News Russian (russian: BBC News Ру́сская слу́жба) – formerly BBC Russian Service (russian: Ру́сская слу́жба Би-би-си́) – is part of the BBC World Service's foreign language output, one of nearly 40 ...

confirmed by name that a total of 492 Russians who were mobilized had been killed. 456 mobilized Russians were killed in Ukraine, while the remaining 36 died within Russia due to various accidents. Due to the

fog of war The fog of war (german: links=no, Nebel des Krieges) is the uncertainty in situational awareness experienced by participants in military operations. The term seeks to capture the uncertainty regarding one's own capability, adversary capability, ...

and deliberate misinformation campaigns on both sides, the real number of mobilized recruits killed in Ukraine is unknown.

Notes

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Russian mobilization, 2022 2022 controversies 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine September 2022 events in Russia October 2022 events in Russia Conscription in Russia Vladimir Putin