Russia’s decision to mobilize its military reserves for the first time since WWII has triggered a crisis in the country, as protests erupt and men flee to countries still welcoming Russians.
Driving the news: The Kremlin confirmed some men will be exempt from the call-up given their current role in the war effort, including IT workers, bankers, and state media journalists.
- The decree reportedly includes a classified paragraph that allows for mobilization of up to one million people, despite the Kremlin saying the call-up will affect 300,000.
- Russia has also said that new troops will only come from the ranks of those with military experience and only serve to defend, not invade.
Yes, but: Men without combat experience have been called up and Russia’s territory to ‘defend’ could change following referendums in four Ukrainian provinces this week.
Why it matters: Ukraine has made serious military advances in recent weeks, but Russia has over 100 million more citizens, and is looking to leverage as much of it as possible.
In response, men have been fleeing the country in droves. Wait times at border crossings into neighbouring Georgia have hit 12 hours and flights to Istanbul and Yerevan are sold out.
Bottom line: The world is split on what to do next—Germany will welcome fleeing Russians, but Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and the Czech Republic said they won’t see them as refugees.