Mobilisation sends Russians running for the border

Tens of thousands of Russians have fled conscription, and thousands more have protested against it, as Putin’s political support appears to erode

Russia’s mobilisation sent tens of thousands of potential draftees protesting or  fleeing for the country’s borders in the 31st week of the war in Ukraine, suggesting that the move had exposed scant support for the war in Russian society and weakened president Vladimir Putin.

Just under 100,000 Russians had crossed into Kazakhstan since the mobilisation …