Mass protests against Russia’s new “partial mobilisation” saw hundreds of people being arrested across the country, an independent rights group has said. OVD-Info said 724 people were detained across 32 different cities on Saturday.
Widespread unsanctioned demonstrations – banned under Russian law – have broken out since President Vladimir Putin announced plans to draft 300,000 men to fight in Ukraine.
But Putin’s move to draft civilians into the military has sparked large scale protests in urban areas, with more than 1,000 people being detained at demonstrations earlier this week.
In Moscow, news agency AFP reported witnessing one demonstrator shouting “we are not cannon fodder” as she was arrested by officers.
And in St Petersburg, Russia’s second city, one man told reporters: “I don’t want to go to war for Putin.”
Seventy-year-old Natalya Dubova told AFP that she opposed the war and confessed she was “afraid for young people” being ordered to the front.
Meanwhile, Russian men continue to flee the country to avoid mobilisation. On the border with Georgia, queues of Russian cars stretch back more than 30km and the interior ministry has urged people not to travel.
Local Russian officials have admitted that there’s been a significant influx of cars trying to cross – with nearly 2,500 vehicles waiting at one checkpoint.
The admission is a change of tone from Russia, with the Kremlin describing reports of Russians fleeing conscription as “fake” on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Finland has also seen a sharp increase in the number of Russians seeking to enter the country.
Matti Pitkaniitty, a spokesperson for the country’s Border Guard, said said the number of Russians arriving had more than doubled since last week.
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