Demonstrations took place in 38 cities on September 21, according to OVD-Info, following Putin’s announcement on the same day. The vast majority of bookings were made in Russia’s two largest cities, with at least 530 recorded in Moscow and more than 470 in St Petersburg. Others were detained in major cities such as Chelyabinsk, Yekaterinburg, Krasnoyarsk, Ufa, Krasnodar and Irkutsk. The protest in Moscow included many women chanting “Life to our children!” and “No to war!” Videos posted on social media showed several hundred people taking part in the Moscow protest, where people formed a chain by clasping hands. The police took the protesters out of the chain one by one. Participants held placards with the blue and yellow colors of the Ukrainian flag and chanted “No to mobilization!” and “Russia without Putin.” Authorities have warned people they face up to 15 years in prison for taking part in the protests.
Live Update: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
RFE/RL Live gives you all the latest on Russia’s ongoing invasion, how Kyiv is fighting back, Western military aid, the global response and civilian plight. For all of RFE/RL’s coverage of the war, click here. In St. Petersburg, opponents of the mobilization order, including many women, gathered at St. Isaac’s Cathedral before being arrested by police. There were reports that law enforcement officers beat protesters with rubber batons during the arrests. Putin announced the mobilization, which will begin immediately, in a broadcast to the nation as the invasion of Ukraine nears seven months and as Kyiv reclaims territory in a counteroffensive. “We are talking about partial conscription, that is, only citizens who are currently in the reserve will be subject to conscription, and mainly those who served in the armed forces, have some military specialty and relevant experience,” Putin said. . Putin said his goal was to “liberate” Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region, claiming without providing any evidence that most people in the region did not want to return to what he called Ukraine’s “yoke.” Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said in a televised interview on September 21 that only those with relevant combat and service experience would be mobilized, not conscripts and students. The speech came a day after Russian-held regions in eastern and southern Ukraine announced plans to vote on whether to join Russia, sparking outrage and condemnation not only in Kyiv but also from much of the international community. Analysts say Kremlin-backed efforts to swallow four regions could set the stage for Moscow to escalate the war after Ukraine’s successes on the battlefield. The referendums, which have been expected since the first months of the war, will begin on September 23 in the regions of Luhansk, Kherson, which are partly controlled by Russia, Zaporizhia and Donetsk. Putin also warned the West that it was “no bluff” that Russia would use all means at its disposal to protect its territory. He accused the West of engaging in “nuclear blackmail” and claimed, without providing evidence, that “senior representatives of leading NATO nations” had allegedly made statements “about the possibility of using nuclear weapons of mass destruction against Russia.” “To those who allow themselves such statements about Russia, I want to remind you that our country also has various means of destruction…and when the territorial integrity of our country is threatened, in order to protect Russia and our people, we will definitely use all the means at our disposal,” Putin said, adding, “It’s not a bluff.” British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace described Putin’s mobilization announcement as “an admission that his invasion is failing”. “He and his defense secretary have sent tens of thousands of their own citizens to their deaths, poorly equipped and poorly led,” Wallace said in a statement. “No amount of threats and propaganda can hide the fact that Ukraine is winning this war, the international community is united, and Russia is becoming a global pariah.” Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said Putin’s mobilization order was a sign of panic in the Kremlin, which should not be taken as an immediate threat of all-out war with the West. “The mobilization, the call for referendums in Donetsk, it’s all a sign of panic. His rhetoric about nuclear weapons is something we’ve heard many times before and it leaves us cold,” Rutte told Dutch broadcaster NOS. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine drew international criticism at the UN General Assembly in New York. US President Joe Biden used his speech at the world forum on September 21 to say that Russia has “brazenly violated the basic principles” of the UN with its “brutal, unnecessary war” in Ukraine. He said Putin’s new nuclear threats against Europe showed “reckless disregard” for Russia’s responsibilities as a signatory to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. With reports from AFP, Reuters and AP
