Cornering Russia, carrot and stick at the same time
Military discipline continues and the threat to use nuclear weapons continues
Concentration of forced conscription of poor minorities
Consolation measures such as citizenship and deferral of debt repayment
Vote for fraudulent elections in the occupied territories of Russia
Open the card in the transparent box and vote
The EU will discuss the acceptance of Russian fugitives
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▲ Urn clearly visible for ‘disagree’
A resident places a card in a ballot box in Mariupol, Donetsk province, one of four localities, during a referendum on “the incorporation of Russian territory” in four Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine, on the 24th (local time). ). In Russia, the ballot paper cannot be folded in half so that the contents of the vote can be seen and the ballot box is made of transparent plastic.
Mariupol Tas Yonhap News
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As protests against the mobilization of 300,000 reservists to be sent to the battlefields of Ukraine scattered across Russia day after day, President Vladimir Putin is speeding up compulsory conscription by issuing a “carrot” (an incentive to enlist) and a “whip” (a punishment rule) at the same time. Furthermore, he appears to increase the pressure on Ukraine and the West, saying that he will maintain discipline as the military leadership hardens internally and that he will never use nuclear weapons externally.
According to CNN and the New York Times (NYT) on the 24th (local time), more than 700 protesters were arrested for taking part in protests against the mobilization order in 32 regions of Russia. Previously, on the 21st, more than 1,300 people were arrested in 38 regions. The AFP reported having witnessed a female demonstrator arrested by the police in Moscow shouting: “We are not ‘bullshit'”.
In particular, contrary to the government’s initial announcement that it would mobilize 300,000 people, the number of people mobilized is higher and the opposition strengthens because standards are arbitrary and discriminatory.
For example, on the 23rd the Russian Defense Ministry announced that it would exclude information and communication technologies (ICT), financial experts and state journalists from conscription. It is noted that high education levels and high incomes are excluded from conscription and mobilization orders are focusing on ethnic minorities in remote and poor regions such as Siberia.
There are many cases where university students or the elderly are not mobilized, but are actually mobilized. Independent Russian media Novaya Gazeta and Meduzha predicted that 1.2 million people would be mobilized. Margarita Simonian, chief editor of Russian state broadcaster Russia Today, was furious on Telegram, saying: “It has been announced that civilians can be recruited up to the age of 35.
Russia is stifling public backlash with tougher sanctions. President Putin today signed a bill that would allow up to 10 years in detention for military personnel who surrender, desert or refuse to fight. The sentence was doubled compared to the previous one (5 years).
In addition, on the 24th the Ministry of Defense announced that it was firing Army General and Deputy Defense Minister Dmitry Bulgakov and Lieutenant General Mikhail Mijinchev, commander of the Defense Management Center under the General Staff. Foreign media have analyzed that he was held responsible for the cause of the defeat, such as the recent handover to Ukraine of the northeastern lands occupied at the beginning of the war.
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Russia has again warned of the possibility of using nuclear weapons. In the midst of referendums for Russian territorial incorporation into four Russian-occupied Ukrainians (Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporiza and Kherson), Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov at a press conference after a speech at the UN General Assembly in New York If the region is incorporated into Russia, it will receive full Russian protection, including nuclear weapons ”. Illegal elections are underway in the four polling stations, with residents displaying their ballots in “transparent ballot boxes” under the surveillance of soldiers armed with rifles. Meanwhile, the Russian army has even launched a missile attack on the Zaporiza apartments.
It also introduced a consolation plan for military mobilization. The plan is to give all foreigners who serve in the military for one year Russian citizenship, which was originally supposed to reside for five years, and recommend lenders to defer repayment of debts for mobilized reservists.
On the other hand, Charles Michel, permanent president of the European Union (EU) summit, said in an interview with Politico on the 23rd that Europe should accept the Russians fleeing the mobilization order. Previously, the three Baltic states and Poland had refused to grant Russia asylum. Ambassadors from EU member states are discussing how to deal with Russians entering Europe on the 26th.
Journalist Baek Min-kyung
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