Russians are googling extreme ways to avoid fighting in Ukraine. Stephen Colbert has some creative ideas.
Russian President Vladimir Putin's announcement Wednesday morning about a "partial mobilization" of some 300,000 military reservists to fight in Ukraine was not popular, especially among young Russian men. Within hours of the speech, "men all over Russia — including some who had tried for months to ignore the messy war in Ukraine — suddenly found their lives thrown into chaos as they were summoned to duty," getting notices of conscription at work, home, or even on the streets, The Washington Post reports.
Protests broke out in 38 cities, despite harsh new punishments, and at least 1,252 people were detained, according to human rights watchdog OVD-Info. Photos posted on social media suggested some of the men arrested at the anti-war protests were handed conscription papers and told they will be taken straight to military centers, convincingly linking military service to punishment. One-way airline tickets to the few remaining visa-free destinations for Russians sold out or their prices spiked to exorbitant heights, and some of those who couldn't get tickets fled to land borders with Finland and Mongolia.
Other Russians looked for alternate ways to avoid being shipped off to Ukraine. "Google search trends showed a spike in queries like 'how to leave Russia' and even 'how to break an arm at home,' raising speculation some Russians were thinking of resorting to self-harm to avoid the war," the Post reports. Stephen Colbert's Late Show came up with other possible Google search terms for desperate Russians Wednesday night.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
![https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516-320-80.jpg)
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Putin's partial conscription is "unlikely to be combat effective for months," but "even this limited mobilization is likely to be highly unpopular with parts of the Russian population," Britain's Defense Ministry said Thursday. "Putin is accepting considerable political risk in the hope of generating much needed combat power. The move is effectively an admission that Russia has exhausted its supply of willing volunteers to fight in Ukraine."
Until now, "Putin has relied on a strategy of keeping life as normal as possible for Russians in order to to maintain a passive support for the war," The New York Times reports. But "by Wednesday night, it was clear that the political backlash Putin feared — and that led him to resist a mobilization for months despite repeated battlefield setbacks — had begun," the Post adds.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
The worst baseball franchises of the Wild Card era
The Explainer These teams have consistently failed to find a winning formula
By David Faris
-
Canadian takeover bid for Japan's 7-Eleven could change how the Asian country does business
In the Spotlight Would a foreign company upend konbini culture?
By Joel Mathis, The Week US
-
Why are older workers staying on the job?
Today's Big Question And what does it mean for younger workers?
By Joel Mathis, The Week US
-
Russian strike kills at least 51 in Ukraine
Speed Read Two Russian missiles struck a military academy and hospital in the Ukrainian city of Poltava
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
What are the lessons from Ukraine's Russia incursion?
Talking Points And what do they mean for Putin's red lines?
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Russia pounds Ukraine with 'massive' air attack
Speed Read At least 11 civilians were killed as Russia targeted cities and infrastructure
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
A brief history of third parties in the US
In Depth Though none of America's third parties have won a presidential election, they have nonetheless had a large impact on the country's politics
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Ukraine blasts bridges, digs in to hold Kursk gains
Speed Read Ukraine destroyed a second key bridge in Russia's Kursk region
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Ukraine reports large gains in Russia's Kursk region
Speed Read Ukraine pushed further into Russian territory and now commands a striking 390 square miles, embarrassing the Kremlin
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Ukraine launches surprise attack inside Russia
Speed Read Ukraine's military sent a large ground force into western Russia, catching them off guard
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Ukraine's booksellers are surprisingly thriving
The Explainer One of the country's largest printing plants was recently hit by a Russian missile strike, but the industry is still doing better than ever
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published