More than 700 protesters have been arrested and detained in Russia over protests against the partial mobilization announced by President Vladimir Putin earlier this week. The human rights organization reports that OVD Info Saturday. The demonstrations and subsequent arrests are not concentrated in one area, but are taking place across the country. According to the organization, there are a total of 32 cities, from Saint Petersburg to Siberia.
Also read: With partial mobilization, fear of Russians becomes reality
Putin’s military service call has sparked resentment across the country: many Russians have long feared that the Kremlin will send them en masse to Ukraine. It was very busy at Russian airports this week, where civilians rushed to leave their country.
Initially, Russia wants to send 300,000 of the total 2 million reservists to the neighboring country. A proposal has been submitted in the Russian parliament to give soldiers who go to Ukraine about 300,000 rubles (converted about 5,350 euros) as a one-off bonus.
Those with some military experience are eligible for the mobilization, according to Putin. There are age limits to the call. Earlier, the president signed a law that makes it easier for foreigners to take Russian nationality to serve in the military. The Russian government has been pushing for a complete mobilization or even martial law for some time.
Putin is forced to take the exceptional measure because the Russian armed forces are losing more and more ground on Ukraine. The Ukrainian army is supported with modern western weapons. Putin himself justified the mobilization by stating that the reservists are needed to “liberate” Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region. The president also threatened to “use every means” Russia has at its disposal. “That’s not a bluff,” he said.
Referendum
This week, mock referendums on joining Russia have been held in four occupied Ukrainian regions. The plebiscites are in Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia and Kherson. With these actions, the Kremlin wants to annex the territories. That would mean that Ukrainian armed forces will be fighting on ‘Russian’ territory after the outcome of the referendums.
The Russian actions have been strongly criticized from the West. This war aims to end Ukraine’s right to exist as a state. And the right of Ukrainians to exist as a people,” said US President Joe Biden. EU foreign chief Joseph Borrell said he must “constantly counterbalance Russia’s propaganda and its misleading narrative”.
On Saturday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov responded to the criticism. He spoke of “unprecedented and grotesque Russophobia” according to AFP news agency, among others. The minister stated that the West is out to destroy Russia. He spoke at a United Nations meeting. Lavrov defended the referendums in Ukraine, saying that residents “where their ancestors lived for hundreds of years” would have the right to vote.