Russians Use Drastic Measures To Avoid Putin’s Military Draft

Topline

Russians have resorted to drastic measures to avoid being drafted to fight in Ukraine, a sign of desperation as President Vladimir Putin’s attempts to revive the flagging invasion pushes potential conscripts to flee or secure medical exemptions by breaking their own arms or legs, while mobilized men are freezing their sperm in case they die on the frontline.

Police officers detain a man protesting against Putin’s partial mobilisation.

AFP via Getty Images

Key Facts

An estimated 400,000 Russians have fled to nearby countries like Kazakhstan, Georgia, Mongolia—as well as the European Union and countries further afield like Turkey—since the draft was announced in late September, according to Bloomberg, an exodus that has prompted several neighboring states to restrict Russians entering on tourist visas.

Fleeing Russians sometimes faced days-long queues to cross the border and soaring demand sent the prices for plane tickets skyrocketing, particularly to countries offering Russians visa-free entry like Turkey, Serbia and the United Arab Emirates.

Those unable or unwilling to leave Russia have sometimes resorted to drastic means to evade the draft by other, usually medical, means, and Russian search terms like “how to break an arm,” “how to break an arm at home” or “how to break a leg” spiked on Google (which is still used by millions in Russia) in the days after the draft was announced, suggesting more interest in the topic than usual.

Gruesome videos of men allegedly breaking their arms or legs in a desperate bid to avoid being drafted have reportedly cropped up online, including footage showing men taking sledgehammers to a friend’s limb.

A market for falsified medical documents listing chronic conditions that can exempt people from being drafted, like HIV or hepatitis, has also reportedly emerged, according to Rest of World.

Some potential conscripts have reported intentions to seek treatment for non-existent problems with addiction or mental health—a well-known draft-dodging technique that has been used for decades—or even plan to get themselves arrested rather than being drafted.

Surprising Fact

The number of men seeking to freeze sperm reportedly spiked after Putin announced partial mobilization, according to Russian media cited by the BBC. Reproductive clinicians in Moscow and Yekaterinburg, who are cited in a handful of British tabloids, claim they are seeing far more patients than usual, many of whom are booking emergency appointments and are keen to skip or expedite the usual preparatory steps and exams required to make a deposit. One St. Petersburg clinic even told the papers it was offering a 10% discount for mobilized men.

News Peg

In recent weeks, Moscow has suffered a series of humiliating defeats on the battlefield in Ukraine and lost large numbers of troops and equipment. Putin ordered an immediate “partial mobilization” in September to shore up the floundering invasion and replenish dwindling manpower. Refusing to serve or desertion is punishable by up to 10 years in prison. The mobilization effort, Russia’s first since World War 2, was viewed as a sign of desperation abroad and stoked civil unrest at home, with anti-war protests erupting across the country. The state proceeded to draft arrested protesters into the military. The draft comes as Moscow moves to formally annex seized Ukrainian territories—none of which it controls fully—which it has vowed to defend at all costs, including the use of nuclear weapons.

Tangent

Russian lawyers and civic groups have been overwhelmed by the number of people seeking support to avoid being drafted, Reuters reported. Sergei Krivenko, who leads a group of around 10 lawyers called Citizen. Army. Law., told Reuters his team is “working round the clock,” noting that leaving the army and returning to normal life after being drafted is “pretty much impossible.” Pavel Chikov, a human rights lawyer, told the news wire he and his team have delivered advisory webinars to some 10,000 company employees.

What we don’t know

It is not clear precisely how many people Putin plans to conscript. The Kremlin’s official figure is at least 300,000 men with previous military experience and necessary skills, who will be drawn from across the country. Reports suggest the draft could be much wider—up to 1 million people—though the relevant clause was redacted from Putin’s mobilization order and the Kremlin rejects the claim as a “lie.” In theory, Russian officials claim they have a pool of 25 million reservists they can call upon. Beyond numbers, there has also been a great deal of confusion over who is eligible to be conscripted, with numerous people seemingly exempt because of illness, age, student status, a lack of military experience and other factors reportedly being called on to serve. Putin himself has acknowledged failures in the mobilization drive and called on officials to fix the issue.

Big Number

200,000. That’s how many have been drafted into Russia’s armed forces since Putin ordered partial mobilization two weeks ago, according to Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu on Tuesday, Reuters reported.

Russians Use Drastic Measures To Avoid Putin’s Military Draft—Including Self-Mutilation