As mobilization begins in Russia, sold-out flights, protests and arrests: Within hours of Putin’s speech declaring a partial military mobilization, men all over Russia started receiving written notices and phone calls summoning them to duty, writes Post reporter Mary Ilyushina. Some men, mostly reservists under age 35, spoke to Ilyushina on the condition of anonymity about receiving the calls they had been dreading for months.
Meanwhile, Google search trends showed a spike in queries like “How to leave Russia” and even “How to break an arm at home,” as protests erupted in some cities and an online petition against mobilization, initiated last spring, suddenly had more than 292,000 signatures.