Russians Confront New Normal as Annexation Voting Continues
- Many draft-age men try to flee the country or go to ground
- Mobilization under way as votes go ahead in occupied regions
Refugees from Ukraine regions held by Russia arrive to vote for a referendum at a polling station in Rostov-on-Don on Sept. 24.
Source: AFP/Getty Images
This article is for subscribers only.
Russians are adjusting to the reality of President Vladimir Putin’s sweeping mobilization even as authorities in four occupied Ukrainian regions continue annexation votes derided by Kyiv and its allies as shams.
For millions largely shielded from the reality of the Kremlin’s bloody seven-month war, Putin’s speech on Wednesday -- announcing a “partial mobilization” targeting 300,000 additional men -- came as a shock.