The Russians rebel against Putin's covert mobilization

Moscow“Guys, tell me: have you all signed the contract voluntarily? Have they forced you?” The scene takes place in Penza, in the south of European Russia, in front of one of the municipality's military commissariats. Plainclothes men are trying to forcibly take away some residents in a van, in front of the desperation of a group of women blocking the vehicle's path. Raids like this one, in which civilians are recruited under coercion to go fight in Ukraine, have become common in dozens of Russian regions in recent months. Vladimir Putin does not want to formally decree a new mobilization like the one in 2022, and therefore resorts to surreptitious methods. In this context, citizens have no choice but to defend themselves or go into exile.

Initially, the agents in charge of the raids were looking for drunk men or those who had committed some minor crime to threaten them and compel them to join the army. However, local sources assure ARA that, shortly after, they began to approach passersby with any arbitrary pretext. Some arrived at the recruitment point, found other bloodied victims there, and armed men warned them: “You have no alternative: either you sign the contract now or you will end up like them”.

The impunity of these groups and the acquiescence of the police, who deny the existence of these practices, have led the residents to organize themselves. They have created a chat where hundreds of people warn each other when they detect agents patrolling in search of potential candidates and come to the aid of those affected. “People have started to rebel and become indignant”, highlights one of the members, aware that this type of behavior is not common in Russia, where society is very atomized and the authorities strive to neutralize any form of horizontal association.

In the regions where the experiment has been replicated, the NGO Call to Conscience has drawn up a decalogue with recommendations on how not to succumb to a practice that the Kremlin had always said was only seen on the streets of Ukrainian cities. It advises, among other things, not to walk alone at night after having been drinking, defend yourself against the plainclothes men because they are not police officers and try to quickly alert neighbors and family members.

The recruitment business

However, sometimes it is the neighbors themselves who turn in their fellow citizens to the authorities to obtain bonuses. It is not strange for announcements to be found in the common areas of buildings reading “Bring us a friend and you will receive 100,000 rubles” (about a thousand euros). It is estimated that two out of every three Russian regions reward recruiters, mostly with public funds camouflaged in items outside the budget. The amounts paid vary greatly depending on the city and often depend on whether the volunteer is a local or an outsider. Officials incentivize that new soldiers come from other regions to avoid unrest. Thus, in Ryazan, for example, the equivalent of 570 euros is paid for a local and more than 8,000 for an outsider.

One of these recruiters confirms to the independent media outlet Astra that he works for the government and admits that he usually makes false promises to his victims, such as that they will be sent to units far from the front. “Naturally, you cannot tell them the truth if they ask about assault soldiers,” he notes. Furthermore, although Russia does not allow entry with a visa to anyone who has HIV, some regions do accept volunteers for the army with this virus and with infectious diseases such as hepatitis C or syphilis.

Competition between recruiters has reached the point that some even buy databases with information on potential new recruits. According to the opposition newspaper Viorstka, marketing agencies look for men prone to taking the step, who have visited websites about the war, who have applied for loans, or who have debts, and they sell them to the recruiters. A phone number of a good candidate can cost between about 16 and about 28 euros.

Rush to emigrate

Despite the evidence that an entire apparatus of commissions and coercion is working tirelessly to supply the front line with new men, Putin is offended by rumors that a new mobilization is brewing. “This is complete nonsense, an information attack against Russia,” he recently declared. His words, however, have not reassured the Russians, who in recent weeks have begun to more actively seek ways to leave the country.

Internet searches on this topic have skyrocketed and organizations that help Russians emigrate have also noticed an increase in applications. They highlight that requests tend to be urgent, related to the fear of ending up in the war, and underline that, unlike in 2022, when people wanted to find refuge for a few months, now they are mainly looking for a destination where they can settle permanently. Most of the applications come from young men asking to relocate to Serbia, Armenia, or Georgia, countries for which Russians do not need a visa.

Since the beginning of the year, men between 18 and 30 years old who have received electronic summons for military service are prohibited from leaving the country, and their international passport renewal is denied. The Kremlin has incorporated electronic notifications to hinder the flight of draft evaders. There have also been reports of reservists being stopped at the border and forced to turn back. Furthermore, a few days ago Putin tightened restrictions on taking money out of Russia to countries in the Eurasian Economic Union, in a clear gesture intended to hinder emigration.