- Russia experienced a day of queues at various borders and the collapse of flights to leave the country.

- Russia Acknowledges The Death Of 6,000 Of Its Soldiers During The War In Ukraine After Ordering Partial Mobilization

More than 1,400 arrested in protests in Russia against Putin's call-up

More than 1,400 arrested in protests in Russia against Putin's call-up

Seven months after the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the streets of several Russian cities have chanted "no to war". Russian citizens have protested in various parts of the country over the announcement of a "partial mobilization" of the population made this Wednesday by its president, Vladimir Putin. With a serious tone, hands resting on the table and staring at the camera, the Russian president sent more than 300,000 compatriots to the front, who in the coming days will pack their bags and head to the border. The measure, which was expected since Ukraine pushed back Russian soldiers on the battlefield a week ago and increased internal pressure around the Kremlin, has caused queues at various borders in the country and the collapse of flights leaving from Russia.

The protests in Yekaterinburg, Moscow, and Saint Petersburg, which were announced by the Russian opposition for Wednesday afternoon, were quickly suppressed throughout the afternoon, resulting in more than 1,400 arrests. The cameras of the international press witnessed the constant flow of attendees being pushed onto buses that, as soon as they were full, headed for the police offices.

Protests have broken out in Moscow following Russian President Vladimir Putin’s order for a partial mobilization, with chants on "No War!" and "Putin, get in the trenches!"pic.twitter.com/6B5vUpMGlR

— Moshe Schwartz (@YWNReporter) September 21, 2022

Hours earlier, the Moscow Prosecutor's Office had come forward to warn that participation in the demonstrations or the mere dissemination of the calls could constitute a crime. The Public Ministry stressed that these mobilizations have not been coordinated with the relevant authorities, who must give permission to any action of this type. It should be noted that the authorities have not authorized any concentration against the war in the seven months that the invasion has already lasted.

During his second televised speech since the beginning of the Russian offensive, Putin pointed to the West as the main culprit in this situation, whom he blamed for having "crossed all the red lines", dropping the possible use of nuclear weapons. "This is not a bluff," he went on to say. In addition, he expressed that the countries that are now on the side of Ukraine "have been drawing up these plans for a long time" and also blamed them for the disintegration of the Soviet Union.

The message comes a day after the referendums on annexation to Russia scheduled for the next few days in the occupied provinces of Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhia were simultaneously announced. Putin assured that he would "protect" these popular consultations and focused on the United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Union: "They are directly pushing Kyiv to transfer military operations to our territory. They no longer hide that Russia must be defeated by all the media on the battlefield, followed by the deprivation of all political, economic and cultural sovereignty". 

The response from the United States has not been long in coming. Washington described the partial mobilization as a "sign of weakness" and warned that threats about the use of nuclear weapons must be taken "seriously." Joe Biden pointed out this Wednesday at the UN headquarters in New York that "no one more than Russia has sought conflict" and assured that they are already working so that Putin "pays for all the atrocities he is committing." Washington de facto leads a NATO that makes a similar analysis of the Russian turn. "It's an escalation but we're not surprised. Russia has made a huge miscalculation in this war and it's not going the way they wanted it to," said Alliance Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

The European Union, for its part, described as "unacceptable" the threats to use nuclear weapons. "The international community must unite to prevent these actions. World peace is at risk," warned the High Representative, Josep Borrell, who considers this escalation a "genuine danger for all."

The internal pressure that Putin has faced in recent days to declare total war and carry out a mobilization of the entire population has been partially sated with Wednesday's announcement. Outside its borders, however, Putin's allies are increasingly reluctant to lend him clear support. China has asked this Wednesday in a statement that dialogue be prioritized to resolve the conflict, demanding "a ceasefire with which the security concerns of the parties are satisfied." Another example is that of Turkey, a member of NATO but with good relations with the Kremlin, which asked Russia on Tuesday to leave the occupied territories, including Crimea, annexed to Russia in 2014.

Blocked flights and collapsed borders

At the same time that Putin was giving his speech, many Russians have been looking for a way to leave the country. Google Trends data on Wednesday morning recorded an increase in searches for Aviasales, Russia's most popular web portal for buying flights. A few hours later, Russia's air connections with countries that still have direct routes were blocked.

Turkey, one of the countries that do not require visas for Russian citizens, is currently inaccessible. Flights to Istanbul, Ankara, and Antalya airports are sold out and a Turkish Airlines spokesman quoted by the DPA news agency announced that they will expand their capacity in the coming days.

In addition, Internet searches related to a possible exit from Russia or ways to avoid a potential call-up have increased. Searches for "how to leave Russia" skyrocketed on Google in the afternoon and queues to leave Russia have been seen at borders such as Finland and Georgia.

Read this also: Putin Announces A "Partial Mobilization" Of The Russian Population For The War In Ukraine