[World Now] ‘Did you aim for a place with weak opposition?’ Russia focused on mobilization calls in provinces and small towns

In Russia, where the partial military dispatch order was issued, it is noted that the proportion of those called to the battlefield is much higher in provinces and small towns than in cities.

Locating muster calls seriously

According to the New York Times on the 23rd, an American daily, Sardana Abkhsentieva, a member of the Sakha Autonomous Republic of the Russian Federation in the Northeast Siberian region, said on social media, “There are 300 villagers, but 47 men were of the name. What is the basis of this number? ” He drew attention to the area of ​​the muster call.

In an open letter to President Putin, the Sakha Republic of Sakha group also pointed out that the mobilization could lead to fewer men in the already sparsely populated northern part of Yakutia.

The majority of minority ethnic groups, such as shepherds, hunters and fishermen, are drafted.

Also, the leader of the ‘Yukagir’ minority in eastern Siberia told The New York Times, “There are not many people like reindeer herders, hunters and fishermen, but most of them are conscripted.”

He sighed that seven Yukagirs had already been summoned, and the number was expected to rise when hunters living outside checked the notice when they returned home.

The population of the Yukagir is around 1,600, but only 400 males between the ages of 18 and 45 are economically active.

Source: Yonhap News

‘We didn’t mobilize even during the Second World War’ Minorities’ open letter to Putin

The New York Times reported that as the burden of mobilization for the shrinking minority groups increased, some local minorities sent an open letter to President Putin demanding the postponement of the mobilization call.

The rationale is that even in World War II, the Soviet army did not mobilize men from ethnic minorities with a small population.

Within Russia, voices pointing out the bias in the mobilization call come from all sides, whether for or against the war or supporting Putin.

Pro-wars oppose the method of conscription

Representative Andrei Medvedev, who has preached pro-war arguments on television news shows, recently argued on Telegram, “In order to maintain a mobilization call, it is essential to strengthen the power of the military, not to create chaos.”

The popular blog ‘Riva’, which posted mostly pro-war articles, said, “We receive many stories from people who have health problems or who have been called to move despite having no combat experience.”

Professor Kirill Shamiev, who has studied Russian military relations at the Central European University in Vienna, said, “The Kremlin is doing what it always does. The first condition of the policy is to extend Putin’s power. The recruitment rate very loud. ,” he noted.

Source: Yonhap News

“Focus on enforcement as the possibility of opposition outside the country is low”

It is an analysis that the number of people who are called to move in the periphery than in the center increases because it is believed that resistance is less likely in areas far from the centre.

In fact, the West believes that President Putin delayed declaring the mobilization order for fear of strong opposition despite pressure from the beginning of the war.

After the mobilization order was declared, protests broke out across Russia, with more than 1,000 people being detained.

Russian state television was almost the only source of information in remote areas where Internet access was poor.

Perhaps this is why the approval rating for President Putin was high.

However, it is noted that the trend may change after the mobilization call.

An activist from the Republic of Sakha told The New York Times, “Television says we have to defend our country, but it seems our lives, not our country, are in danger now.”