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.

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Peter Weber, The Week US

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.