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Gallery|Russia-Ukraine war

Photos: Rare protests erupt after Putin’s troop mobilisation

The Moscow prosecutor’s office warned organising or participating in protests could lead to up to 15 years in prison.

police apprehend Russian protesters
Police officers detain a man after demonstrations broke out around Russia following President Putin's troop announcement [Alexander Nemenov/AFP]
Published On 22 Sep 202222 Sep 2022
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Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a partial mobilisation of reservists to bolster his forces in Ukraine, an unpopular move that sparked rare protests across the country and led to some 1,300 arrests.

The risky order follows setbacks for Putin’s troops nearly seven months after they invaded Ukraine. The first such call-up in Russia since World War II heightened tensions with Ukraine’s Western backers, who derided it as an act of weakness and desperation.

Despite Russia’s harsh laws against criticising the military and the war, outraged protesters overcame fears of arrest to stage protests in cities across the country.

Hundreds were arrested in anti-war demonstrations in cities including Moscow and St Petersburg, according to the independent Russian human rights group OVD-Info.

In Yekaterinburg, Russia’s fourth-largest city, police hauled about 40 protesters onto buses.

The Moscow prosecutor’s office warned organising or participating in protests could lead to up to 15 years in prison.

The total number of reservists to be called up could be as high as 300,000, Russian defence minister Sergey Shoigu said. However, Putin’s decree authorising the partial draft, which took effect immediately, offered few details, raising suspicions the draft could be broadened at any moment.

Shoigu said only some of those with relevant combat and service experience will be called up. He said about 25 million people fit that criteria, but only about 1 percent of them will be asked to serve.

Russia protests
Police officers detain a man in Novosibirsk during protests against partial mobilisation announced by President Vladimir Putin. [Rostislav Netisov/AFP]
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Russia protests
Police detain demonstrators challenging a troop mobilisation announcement in Ukraine in Yekaterinburg. [AP Photo]
Russia protests
Police crowd protesters in St Petersburg. [Olga Maltseva/AFP]
Russia protests
A demonstrator struggles during his arrest in Moscow. [Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP Photo]
Russia protests
An estimated 1,300 people were arrested at demonstrations across Russia against President Vladimir Putin's announcement. [Alexander Nemenov/AFP]
Russia protests
The total number of reservists to be called up could be as high as 300,000. [Reuters]
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Russia protests
The Moscow prosecutor’s office warned organising or participating in protests could lead to up to 15 years in prison. [Alexander Nemenov/AFP]
Russia protests
Russian police officers detain men during a rally in Moscow. [Reuters]


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