Since the start of partial mobilization in Russia ordered by President Vladimir Putin, hundreds of thousands of men unwilling to fight in Ukraine have fled to Russia’s neighboring countries, including Georgia, Kazakhstan and Belarus. Many of them do not wait for the official conscription, but leave the country as soon as possible. The previous protests against the mobilization in several Russian regions were massively suppressed by the police.
DW spoke to the mother of a refugee conscientious objector about her concerns. Irina Ivanova from Moscow (name changed for security reasons) reports on the mobilization and explains why there are no mothers’ and women’s protests in Russia.
Deutsche Welle: Can you tell us where your son is now?
Irina Ivanova: My son is in Kazakhstan and busy organizing his life there for the foreseeable future. Perhaps he will apply for visas at consulates of other countries.
Deutsche Welle: Did he leave Russia because of a draft notice?
Ivanova: No. We didn’t wait that long because he could be among the first to be drafted. He’s about 30 years old, went to college and served in the army. At first it was said that students would not be drafted. But people from the draft offices and the police kept coming to the university. So we decided to leave overnight. My son bought tickets and went to a town on the border with Kazakhstan. We knew that it was still possible to legally cross the border there. A friend of mine helped him and waited until he passed all the controls and got into a car on the other side.
Deutsche Welle: Hundreds of thousands of Russians are seeking refuge in neighboring countries. Why was the mobilization such a shock? Before that, for seven months, people lived as if there was no war in Ukraine.
Ivanova: That’s not true. Everyone knows that Ukraine is at war. But everyone has their everyday life. People went to the war in Ukraine who decided to do so for various reasons – ideological, financial or some inner convictions. Now the authorities have ruled over people’s heads, and many disagree. In order not to take part in all this, they flee.
Deutsche Welle: What do you think of some European countries closing their borders to Russian citizens?
Ivanova: On the one hand, your fears are understandable. On the other hand, I am disappointed that all Russians are being denied entry and not just those who are to blame for all of this. People are rejected mainly out of fear and because of the political boycott. Accordingly, Russia is the aggressor and thus all Russians are aggressors. But you have to look at each individual person – me, my son, my friends, my friends’ sons. They are not aggressors and intruders. They protest in every way they can. This is the fate of everyone who disagrees with Russian politics.
Deutsche Welle: Many people abroad think that the Russians should not run away from this problem, but fight against it.
Ivanova: I don’t see a way for people to end what’s happening here themselves. How are we supposed to do that? The men flee because they don’t want to stain their hands with blood. Women like me stayed. What should we do? Perhaps we will be driven to rebellion, and there will be a revolt by the women. History knows many examples.
Deutsche Welle: Almost all the men who flee are husbands and sons. Larger protests by women were only in Dagestan and Yakutia. Why not in big cities like Moscow?
Ivanova: My friends, colleagues and I talk about it all the time. Although we have different opinions on this, we agree on one thing: we are responsible for our children. I went to all the protests, vigils and demonstrations. I was always careful not to get under the baton of the police because I have two other children who are minors. There are millions of people like me. If for any reason we were no longer there, the lives of our families and our children would also be destroyed. In small republics like Dagestan or Yakutia, families and clans are very strong. Muscovites like me have no one behind us. We don’t want to live the way we have to live today, but there’s nothing we can do about it. This is our greatest tragedy and our greatest misfortune.
Deutsche Welle: What reactions to the mobilization do you see in your circle of friends and in the whole country?
Ivanova: In my circle of friends, everyone is appalled and condemns this war. I hate the state power that has usurped my home country. I’ve been saying this for 20 years. On the other hand, I know that in the provinces, where information is only received in distorted form and only via state radio, the views are very different. These people are willing to support all of this. We feel in the minority.
Deutsche Welle: How do you see the future of your country and your personal future?
Ivanova: I don’t see any future in today’s Russia at all. We don’t have a single leader to follow. They have all been eliminated. Nobody tries to be a leader anymore. We no longer have any influence. All we have left is our rejection and our resistance to everything. All we can do is try to save at least a part of our family and a part of ourselves.
The interview was conducted by Marina Baranovska.
Adaptation from the Russian: Markian Ostapchuk.
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The original of this article “Why mothers of Russian conscientious objectors are silent” comes from Deutsche Welle.
