Personal Mobilization

I have personally seen chaos in Putin’s Russia with the Local Authorities (the Oblast Administration and the City Administration) and the National Authorities (the Police and the Military) try to mobilize Men to go fight in a War.

It was during the 2^nd Chechen War (1999-2009) and it was my 2^nd trip to Russia, but the first time I was living and studying in Yaroslavl. I wasn’t fluent in Russian as I am now (since I was just starting to learn it at the International University of Business and New Technology - IUBNT.)

Not long after I arrived in Russia in 2002 and was going to my One-On-One Language Class at IUBNT I saw armed Soldiers and Police at the front entrance to the building stopping everyone.

Since any Russian Official anywhere in the country can stop anyone they want at any time and ask for their Documents (for Russians that’s their Internal Passport and their Home or Travel Registration Stamp and for Foreigners its their International Passport, their Russian Visa, their Home or Travel Registration Stamp and their Migration Card) I didn’t think much of it – just that they were doing a Document Check.

When I got my Documents Checked I knew everything was in order and yet had several Soldiers and Police Officers screaming at me. Of course I didn’t understand what they were saying and said, in Russian: “I don’t understand Russian. I’m an American Student.” That just got more Officials involved screaming at me.

They tried to grab my arm and I ducked past them and made it inside the University. I ran up the stairs (by-passing the mandatory Coat Check where you have to leave your coats and bags) and made it to the Head of the Russian Language Department’s Office – with about 8 Soldiers and Police chasing after me.

I quickly explained, in English, that they were chasing me and I didn’t know why. The Department Head went out and explained everything to the Soldiers and the Police who went away. She then came in and explained to me that they were looking for Draft Dodgers and any Man they suspected of being one would be sent right to a Military Training Facility and then off to fight in Chechnya.

She had told them that I was an American Student and not a Russian Citizen so didn’t have to serve in the Russian Military as all Russian Men do. I asked her why the Soldiers and Police didn’t understand that after seeing my blue American Passport (Russian Passports are Red) or reading my Russian Visa, Russian Home Registration Stamp and Russian Migration Card – all which were in Russian? She just shrugged and said they had a quota to fill.

Later that day I was given a special new Document from my University (with my picture and in Russian) saying I was “An American Student studying at the International University of Business and New Technology” and that I was not to be Drafted or sent to fight in Chechnya because I was not a Russian Citizen.

I also made sure to call the American Embassy in Moscow and file a complaint about what the Russian Military and Police tried to do  - had I not gotten away from them I probably would have spent about 5 days in a Russian Military Training Camp and then been shipped off to fight and die in Chechnya. I also wanted the Embassy to know in case I never checked-in with them.

That was in 2002 (20 years ago) and you would think things would have improved in Russia, but they have not. Putin is still Dictator, still fighting Wars and still grabbing anyone (the very young, the Disabled, those from jail and Forced Work Penal Colonies, the sick and the very old) giving them around 5-10 days of Military Training and then sending them to Ukraine to die.

In the 10 years of the 2^nd Chechen War, 7,476 Russian Soldiers were killed.

In the 7 months of Russia’s War in Ukraine 54,000 Russian Soldiers have been killed and 35,000 wounded.

Putin and his Minions are desperate and are taking anyone they can find to simply waste as cannon fodder – hoping the Ukrainians will run out of weapons or that the West will tire of supplying Ukraine with 21^st Century weapons while Russia uses 20^th Century Weapons.

FYI: I still have that Special ID down in a box.