A year ago today (21 September), the Russian authorities announced the start of “partial mobilisation” – calling up reserve soldiers to fight in the war against Ukraine. Not everyone liable for military service would be called up, but everyone felt the risk of mobilisation. In response, hundreds of thousands fled the country.
Those who stayed in Russia but didn’t want to fight had to avoid being contacted by the military bureaucracy – for example, by moving immediately to a new apartment or city, changing their phone number and leaving their social media accounts. Several NGOs and mass media outlets published guides on how to “run away from the military registration and enlistment office”. One NGO called Go Through The Forest started to help Russian conscripts leave the country to avoid mobilisation.
One year on, openDemocracy has talked to three men in Russia who have avoided mobilisation. They spoke to us on condition of anonymity; after 18 months of Russia’s war on Ukraine, it has become so unsafe to express thoughts and emotions in the country that war topics are generally not discussed outside a close circle of friends. All statements below are published under pseudonyms.
