On Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin made a televised address announcing a "partial mobilization" of up to 300,000 reservists, which has sparked anti-war protests.
Putin assured that the mobilization only concerns reservists and those who have previously served in the army or have military experience.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu clarified that conscripts and students would not be called up to fight and that only 300,000 people would be drafted under the new mobilization measure.
"'Partial mobilization' is just what it's being called. I carefully read Putin's whole order. They are mobilizing everyone, there are simply categories of people who will be called up to fight first."
- Dmitry Gudkov, Russian Opposition Politician
Following the announcement, several protests took place across Russia with over 1,200 people arrested in 30 cities, according to the rights group OVD Info.
Flights to leave Russia in the coming days were almost immediately sold out, with destinations like Turkey, Armenia and Azerbaijan costing over €2,000 ($1,970).
