It only took a few hours, after Vladimir Putin’s speech, early this morning, for the Russians to organize themselves. Demonstrations are taking place in several Russian cities, notably in Moscow and Saint Petersburg, in protest against the call for partial mobilization announced by the Russian President.
According to OVD-Info, an organization specializing in counting arrests, as of 8:30 p.m. (French time), this Wednesday, at least 1,332 people were arrested in Russia during spontaneous demonstrations against the partial mobilization for the offensive in Ukraine in at least 38 cities in the country including Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Ufa, Krasnoyarsk or Chelyabinsk. Several journalists were arrested, the NGO also indicated on its website.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced a “partial mobilization” of Russians of combat age, or 300,000 reservists, paving the way for a major escalation in the conflict in Ukraine. “I consider it necessary to support the proposal (from the Ministry of Defense) partial mobilization of citizens in reserve, those who have already served (…) and who have relevant experience”, justified the Russian president.
In addition to demonstrations in the streets, there has been a rush on the plane tickets of people seeking to leave the country. At the start of the Russian offensive in Ukraine, a first exodus of Russians opposed to the assault or fearing mobilization had taken place. No official estimate has been made public, but it affected at least tens of thousands of people.