Hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the partial mobilisation of the two million military reserves to defend the “liberated lands” of Ukraine on Wednesday, over 1,300 anti-war protesters were arrested across 38 Russian cities.
According to independent Russian human rights group OVD-Info, at least 1,386 people were detained, including 541 in St. Petersburg and 509 in Moscow. The first protests reportedly took place in Siberia and the Far East; demonstrators in the east Siberian city of Ulan-Ude were seen carrying placards saying “No war! No mobilisation!” and “Our husbands, fathers and brothers don’t want to kill other husbands and fathers.”
Footage from a packed police van in Moscow tonight. It’s a wonder that despite the vast political exodus in recent months, many dissenters remain. pic.twitter.com/tlqF4fTWFk
— Matthew Luxmoore (@mjluxmoore) September 21, 2022
In Novosibirsk, Russia’s third-largest city, a video on social media showed a protester shouting, “I don’t want to die for Putin or for you!” Similarly, protesters in Moscow were seen chanting “No war!,” “Send Putin to the trenches!,” and “Let our children live!” Protests also took place in Arkhangelsk in the Far North, Krasnodar in the south, and the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad in the Baltic region.
The Vesna Youth Democratic movement also called for protests against the partial mobilisation saying, “Thousands of Russian men – our fathers, brothers and husbands – will be thrown into the meat grinder of war… Now war will truly come to every home and every family.” “The deputies and officials who daily yelled about the need for mobilisation will remain in their warm chairs, alive and well. We believe that they should be mobilised and sent to Ukraine – let them die for their sick fantasies, and not send ordinary guys to their deaths,” they further asserted.
Similarly, in a video published by his lawyers, jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny claimed that Putin wanted to “smear hundreds of thousands of people in this blood,” asserting that it is “clear that the criminal war is getting worse, deepening, and Putin is trying to involve as many people as possible.”
Over a thousand people have reportedly been arrested for protesting Russia's mobilization. Police in St. Petersburg have beaten protesters with batons. (Pictures show protesters in Moscow.)https://t.co/0DNEe7yd7d pic.twitter.com/ybfWF1loux
— Meduza in English (@meduza_en) September 21, 2022
Interior Ministry official Irina Volk tried to play down the protests by saying, “In a number of regions, there were attempts to stage unauthorised actions which brought together an extremely small number of participants. These were all stopped,” adding, “Those persons who violated laws were detained and taken to police stations for investigation and establish their responsibility.”
Unsanctioned demonstrations are illegal under Russia’s anti-protest laws. To this end, the Russian Prosecutor’s office warned that those organising or participating in protests could incur 15 years of imprisonment.
In this regard, pro-Kremlin commentator Ilya Remeslo claimed that “reliable sources” had told him that those taking part in “illegal rallies” would be the first to be mobilised. “They will check the documents immediately on the spot, identify them, detain them and send them to the internal affairs agencies,” he remarked.
The widespread protests in Russia against Putin's "partial mobilization" to fight his war in Ukraine is remarkable because the general prosecutor’s office warned that "unsanctioned protests could result in punishment of up to 15 years of prison." https://t.co/wCKGWMVx8Y
— Kenneth Roth (@KenRoth) September 22, 2022
Moreover, Navalny ally Ivan Zhdanov claimed that large-scale anti-war protests would not be possible because “there is no solidarity in Russian society, and no unity.”
Meanwhile, searches for “How to leave Russia” and “How to break an arm” skyrocketed soon after Putin’s announcement. In fact, flights from Russia to Turkey, Dubai, Armenia, Serbia, and Azerbaijan, which still allow visa-free travel, quickly sold out. Prices increased drastically, reaching as high as $9,119 for a one-way ticket as people attempted to leave the country amid fear of border closures and general mobilisation. Alongside flights, the country’s railway website crashed after several people logged in to find ways to leave. Furthermore, some people were reportedly asked to return while attempting to cross the land border with Georgia.
“I don’t want to be cannon fodder,” an anonymous 30-year-old man eligible for enlistment in the military told The Moscow Times. However, pro-Russian administrators tried to calm the public amid the ensuing panic, with the head of the State Duma defence committee, Andrei Kartapolov, assuring that there would be no additional restrictions on reservists leaving Russia based on this mobilisation. However, he also told the eligible ones to “spend your vacation at the resorts of Crimea or Krasnodar region,” instead of “traveling to resorts in Turkey.”