Putin goes to his reserves (nd-aktuell.de)

Russian men walk to Georgia.  Long traffic jams have formed at the border since mobilization.

Russian men walk to Georgia.  Long traffic jams have formed at the border since mobilization.

Russian men walk to Georgia. Long traffic jams have formed at the border since mobilization.

Photo: AP/dpa/Zurab Tsertsvadze

“A summons was sent to you today… You must report by 10 a.m. tomorrow,” the caller said. The caller disagreed. Of course he has no problem defending the fatherland, but first he has to see “what can be done in relation to me”. He will “regulate that on a different level”. It is said that the telephone conversation between the alleged recruiting officer and Nikolai Peskov, the son of the Kremlin spokesman, was a “joke”. It is clear that the caller – his name is Dmitri Nisovtsev and as a blogger is close to the imprisoned opposition politician Alexei Navalny – had other things in mind.

The conversation, which can be listened to on the Internet, reveals quite a bit about the way in which the partial mobilization ordered by the President is taking place. Those who are wealthy and have connections do not take their duty to protect “Mother Russia” so seriously. Nevertheless, Western reports of mass escapes of able-bodied men are exaggerated. The Russian Ministry of Defense assures that, despite partial mobilization, “there are no plans to restrict the free movement of citizens”.

Apparently there is still no intention in Moscow to close borders. This is also unnecessary in the west. Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Poland have even closed their borders to Russians. Finland will decide on restrictions in the coming days, Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto said. 80 percent more Russians recently traveled to his country than a week earlier. The Kazakh Interior Ministry also reports an increase in legal border crossings. Anyone who crosses the border illegally, as three young Russians recently did in the Kostanay region, can expect severe fines of up to 200,000 rubles (3,500 euros). A recruiting office will soon be opened on the Russian-Georgian border in North Ossetia. The “hint with the fence post”, broadcast by the official news agency TASS on Tuesday, is certainly understood correctly.

protests in the Caucasus

In general, many false reports about the course of the partial mobilization are being spread, claims Putin’s spokesman, Dimitri Peskov. When a journalist unusually “boldly” asked whether employees from the administration of the head of state had already been mobilized, he received from Peskow sen. to hear that, firstly, this is “a personal matter” and secondly, subpoenas do not reach the workplace. However, Putin’s spokesman told the Interfax news agency that there had been coercive measures and violence when recruiting reservists. There was clearly “violation of the decree”.

Putin’s mobilization decree is now a week old. Although reluctant, Russian media still report protests. Among other things, there were clashes in the Caucasus region of Dagestan. Every second person there lives below the official poverty line. Just four percent of the population are ethnic Russians. Elsewhere, too, members of non-Russian peoples, often Muslims, do not see why they should die for Moscow’s interests in Ukraine.

Public protests are usually quickly stifled. The accompaniment of wives, girlfriends and children, which is also shown on Russian television, often seems like a demonstration of displeasure. In other regions, the sale of alcohol in the vicinity of recruiting offices and barracks has been banned. With good reason, as Twitter news shows. At the beginning of the week, the governor of the Irkutsk region, Igor Kobtsev, confirmed that a recruiter was fighting for his life in the hospital in Ust-Ilimsk. Reason: A young man started a shootout in the registration office out of frustration at a friend’s draft.

Moscow wants to maintain the appearance of normality

According to Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, who lost his deputy Dmitry Bulgakov a few days ago when he was recalled as a warning, up to 300,000 reservists are currently being called up. Theoretically, that’s about 1.1 percent of the total mobilization resources, according to Shoigu’s ministry. For the time being, reservists of the first category are affected, i.e. soldiers, non-commissioned officers and people with the rank of ensign under the age of 35 and officers under the age of 50. After leaving the army, they have signed a corresponding contract and are regularly taken to refresher exercises. This also happens now before the immediate deployment. They are paid like normal regular soldiers. Defense workers are spared. Just like those who are temporarily unfit for military service for health reasons, have to care for close relatives, have at least four children under the age of 16, are single parents or are elected members of the State Duma.

All in all, it seems that Moscow is now trying to ensure that the partial mobilization is carried out in accordance with the law. Trying to maintain the appearance of normality. But now the war, which must continue to be called »special operations«, is reaching many families. Many fear that Moscow’s positive outcome of the incorporation votes in four conquered Ukrainian regions will create a qualitatively new potential for conflict. Because a Ukrainian offensive against such an area claimed by Moscow would then be tantamount to an attack on Russia. Deputy head of the Russian Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, said on Tuesday that his country had “the right to use nuclear weapons if necessary”. Anyone who looks at Moscow’s current nuclear doctrine knows that this “need” can arise as a result of a conventional attack from the outside.


LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here