- Who Are The 300,000 Russian Reservists Who Could Be Mobilized After Putin's Announcement
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| Putin's call-up separates Ekaterina and her husband He has left Russia with friends; to say that they are terrified is an understatement |
Putin's call-up separates Ekaterina and her husband: "He has left Russia with friends; to say that they are terrified is an understatement"
Darkness still hung over the Moscow streets, waiting for the first rays of sunlight to pierce the skies of the Russian capital, when Ekaterina's husband said goodbye to his city and his home for not knowing how long. A train would take him to Minsk, in neighboring Belarus, before flying a few days later to Astana, in the former Soviet republic of Kazakhstan. Thus, he undertakes a hard path towards voluntary exile in fear of being called up after the announcement of the "partial mobilization" of Vladimir Putin.
In an attempt to escape the yoke of the Kremlin and possible recruitment, his steps have been followed, just a few hours later, by five of his friends. They do so, however, with the uncertainty of whether and when they will be able to leave Belarus since plane tickets from Minsk are sold out until October, explains Ekaterina, still in Moscow. This is just one of the routes chosen by some of the thousands of Russian citizens who have left the country in recent hours after the president's order to enlist reservists last Wednesday.
"When Putin announced the 'partial mobilization', during the first hours, people were in shock. My husband and I looked for tickets to fly to Istanbul, but, at eleven in the morning, they were already very expensive and there was no availability until September 25. The tickets disappeared, the hotel rooms too. We understood that he had to leave as soon as possible, so we decided that he should go and that I would go wherever he went later", details this young Russian, who will fly directly to Astana on the next day 27.
They are leaving at a time when panic has broken out among the population, especially among middle-aged men, the most affected by the measure. "The decree is written in such a way that really anyone can be called up. Not even our company's lawyers can clearly say who can be recruited right now," says Ekaterina, who works, like her husband and his friends, in an information technology company.
"Initially they told us that our sector would not be affected by the mobilization, but it is a lie. Two of our colleagues know for sure that they meet the requirements to be called up, the others have doubts because everything is very arbitrary." "To say they are terrified is an understatement. They can't even work, because they need to prosecute. They don't want to kill anyone, they don't support Putin or the war, and they know the government only wants to pay for its own mistakes with their lives. As far as I know, I know, a lot of people feel the same way," she says.
"To say that they are terrified is an understatement. My husband and my friends do not want to kill anyone, they do not support Putin or the war and they know that the government only wants to pay for its own mistakes with their lives."
In this context, the young woman raises her voice: "There is something else that I want to say very clearly. There is no one in my environment who supports Putin or the war. We vote, my husband has participated in protests, we donate money to lawyers' associations to defend people in political processes... Here, if you act explicitly, you expose yourself to a tremendous fine the first time and to prison the second time. I just want to explain that we are normal people, we do not support the murder of Ukrainians, and almost all Russian families have relatives there."
Recruitment on the street
Since Putin's announcement of "partial mobilization", in parallel with the thousands of citizens who have left the country, others have chosen to demonstrate in the streets and squares of some of the main towns. These protests have resulted in the arrest of more than 1,300 people, according to the Vesná (Spring) peace movement, which ensures that some of those arrested received notifications to appear immediately at recruitment offices.
"In theory, the notification to enlist has to come to you by mail, but from what I'm seeing, you can receive it anywhere. Yesterday, the police started stopping men on the street and giving them these documents. It can happen anywhere. somewhere, in the subway, on the street, while you're in the car...", relates Ekaterina, who denounces the actions of the agents in certain contexts. "They attack 'super dangerous' women and mothers," he says ironically.
Start of a new life
With their departure from Moscow, Ekaterina and her husband will leave behind a Russian society where the war has become the central topic of conversation in just a couple of days. Now, neither for them nor for their compatriots who have chosen the same path, it will be an easy experience. "Belarus scares me a lot. We have heard that they are controlling cars with Russian license plates and searching apartments," he says since it is an ally of the Kremlin. Others face the doubt of whether they will be able to cross the borders on foot: "At the moment, it seems that it is possible, but the guards ask questions and take notes. We do not know why."
Added to these initial difficulties are restrictions on access to certain countries, complications in obtaining certificates abroad, and problems obtaining money, due to Visa and Mastercard sanctions. "We opted for Kazakhstan because it's a little cheaper than Istanbul and we know something about the country. We don't know anything about Kyrgyzstan or Uzbekistan and we ruled out Armenia and Azerbaijan because they are at war. We also didn't want to go further east because of the time difference. Also, I have a Kazakh bank card and we have some colleagues there who can give us advice," he says.
Now, Ekaterina and her husband will start a new life almost 3,000 kilometers from their home, although Astana is only a temporary destination, where they hope to spend just over a month and from where they will work remotely. After that time, they do not consider returning to Russia. At least not soon. "Right now, I have to pack, buy dollars, take the cat to my mother, solve the mortgage issue in a year, and do the paperwork to authorize my mother to manage my assets," he lists.
"Restarting doesn't scare me as much as losing important people. I'm young and I just got married, I want to have children, my own house... but in a safe place. Leaving all this behind is worth it"
"I'm not afraid to start over. I can work, and I have the training and the support of my family and friends. Starting over doesn't scare me as much as losing important people. I'm young and I just got married, I want to have children, my own house and all those things, but in a safe place. Leaving all this behind is worth it, "he adds.
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