Russia-Ukraine war: Moscow reveals who are exempted from mobilisation as men flee call-up

Recently, Russia called on people to be part of the mobilisation drive, with many people protesting against it. Russia’s defence ministry has revealed a list of occupations exempted from the war preparations. On Wednesday, President Vladimir Putin said that IT employees, bankers and journalists working in the state media are immune from the partial mobilisation. There are accusations against Russian soldiers of torturing citizens in detention.

Russia’s defence ministry announced that employers must collect the list of workers falling under the said criteria. The exemption is made to ensure that the work of specific high-tech industries, like Russia’s financial organisation, remains uninterrupted.

Russians are desperately fleeing the country.

After World War II, this was Russia’s first mobilisation call, and young men were fleeing the border. At the Russia-Georgia border, traffic stretched for miles. As cars have a wait queue of up to 12 hours, people are using bicycles or barefoot to cross the border.

Russia's call-up decision has sparked protests in many parts of the country and resulted in approximately 1300 arrests. There are reports that the arrested people were handed draught papers in custody.

A person who did not want to be disclosed said that what Putin was doing was not his concern. A Russian student has said now that people are opening their eyes because what Russia is doing is directly affecting them. An IT worker said that although he opposes the war, he’s afraid of speaking up; therefore, he’s fleeing the country with his family.

FAQs

1. Where are the Russians fleeing?
   To enter Georgia, Russians do not need visas.However, its border is guarded by Finland, which requires an entry visa.Istanbul, Belgrade, and Dubai are other options whose ticket prices have skyrocketed.
2. How are other countries reacting to this situation?
   Germany has opened its borders to refugees and has decided to welcome them.Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and the Czech Republic are not open to refugees.The Foreign Minister of the Czech Republic has said that it will not open borders for those who do not fulfil the duty given by their government and do not have humanitarian visas.