Twice within the first week of September, Russian President Vladimir Putin publicly dismissed rumors of a looming mobilization campaign in the country. On September 1, Putin called the rumors "complete nonsense" and described them as an "information attack" against Russia. Two days later, on September 3, at the Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Putin said that "there is no scenario today that would require mobilization." DW's Russian service asked readers in Russia, on condition of anonymity, whether they see signs of an impending mobilization.
The most common response from DW readers concerned receiving summonses from military enlistments offices. "My nephew received a summons for data verification," wrote a reader from the industrial city of Naberezhnye Chelny. "I received a summons ordering me to appear for data verification.
What should I do?" wrote a user named Maxim. "One of my friends, a school teacher, received a summons through the government services portal [Gosuslugi] on July 9 to update his records," said another reader, Sergei. People fear that they may be called up for military service or lose the ability to leave the country freely.
As a result, some of those who have received draft notices are seeking to travel abroad as quickly as possible, while restrictions on leaving the country have not yet taken effect. "One acquaintance of mine left Russia two months ago after receiving a summons for data verification from the military enlistment office," one reader wrote. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Not everyone, however, sees emigration as a realistic option in the event of mobilization.
"As for leaving, that's a fantasy. Where would you go, and more importantly, with what money?" one DW reader wrote. In June, reports emerged from Russia's Penza region that men were forcibly taken to military enlistment offices and pressured into signing military contracts.
According to local reports, the practice became widespread enough that residents organized protests in support of relatives and neighbors. Journalists reporting on the issue say such raids are continuing. "People are being detained, particularly near the entrances to their apartment buildings," Lena Lemyasova, a journalist with news outlet Important Stories [Vazhnye Istorii], told DW.
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