The Kremlin considers that the reaction of part of the Russian population to the partial military mobilization decreed on Wednesday by Russian President Vladimir Putin has been "hysterical".
After the announcement made by the Russian president, many Russians have left the country, either by air or by road. Plane tickets to nearby countries that do not require a visa for Russian citizens have been sold out for the next few days and, if one is found, it is at prohibitive prices. From the night of Wednesday and Thursday long queues were recorded at Russia's borders with Finland, Georgia, and to a lesser extent Kazakhstan and Mongolia.
In addition, hundreds of people went out to protest in 38 cities against the mobilization and the "special military operation", a euphemism by which the armed conflict with Ukraine is officially called here. Police arrested more than 1,400 people across the country.
"One could somehow understand the hysterical, extremely emotional reaction in the first hours after the announcement, even on the first day, because, indeed, there was a certain lack of information, which is also understandable and justifiable," the spokesman said on Friday. of the Kremlin, Dmitri Peskov, in his daily telephone press conference.
He stated, however, that "since yesterday (on Thursday), all hotlines and information offices have been activated in accordance with the government's decision."
According to Putin's press officer, the Russian Defense Ministry is regularly responding to questions raised by citizens through its telephone lines. "The media publishes the responses of the Ministry of Defense and statements of the military commissioners. Now, there is no longer a shortage of information," he assured.
Putin decreed the first mobilization of the Russian population since World War II to incorporate up to 300,000 reservists to the campaign in Ukraine. From the same Wednesday, the military police stations and the recruitment offices of the regions began to present citations to those involved. And local media and social networks published images of the new Russian soldiers boarding planes or buses on their way to training centers, where they have to undergo a period of training before being sent to their final destination, most of them the Ukraine front.
According to the Russian authorities, the mobilization affects reservists with "military experience" or who have a "specialty" that the army needs. Former soldiers up to 35 years old and officers under 45 are invited.
The Army General Staff said that on the first day about 10,000 men did not wait to receive the summons and volunteered to go fight in Ukraine.
