Flee, Hide or Sit Tight? Russians Are on Edge Over Rumors of a Draft.
New York Times
N
New York Times
Original Source
Amid dwindling numbers of Russian volunteer soldiers in Ukraine, rumors of a second mandatory conscription wave are sparking widespread panic across Russia. Military-age men are fleeing the country or going into hiding, even as the Kremlin officially denies any intention to launch a mass mobilization.
Flee, Hide or Sit Tight? Russians Are on Edge Over Rumors of a Draft. - The New York Times
Skip to contentSkip to site index
Europe
Today’s Paper
Russia-Ukraine War
* War Escalation
* Underground Schools
* Russian Drone Strikes
* C.I.A. Chief’s Assessment
* Ukraine’s Drone Army
* Photos
Advertisement
SKIP ADVERTISEMENT
You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load.
Supported by
SKIP ADVERTISEMENT
Flee, Hide or Sit Tight? Russians Are on Edge Over Rumors of a Draft.
The Kremlin has denied that a mass mobilization is being prepared, but some military-age men are taking no chances.
Listen · 8:31 min
*
*
*
!A person in camouflage faces away on sandy ground, observing a group of people in similar uniforms. The group, holding guns, stands near a forest.
*Russian soldiers during military drills in Minsk, Belarus, last year.
Credit...
Nanna Heitmann for The New York Times*
By
Ivan Nechepurenko
Reporting from Moscow
Sept. 5, 2026
Updated 7:11 a.m. ET
See more of our coverage in your search results. Encuentra más de nuestra cobertura en los resultados de búsqueda. Add The New York Times on Google Agrega The New York Times en Google
As anxiety over rumors of a forced military mobilization began to sweep through Moscow, Eradzh, a 36-year-old entrepreneur, turned to his A.I. assistant to parse the news and calculate the likelihood of a draft.
Eventually, the probability became high enough that he asked the program to find him a cheap flight out of Russia. In about a week, Eradzh will fly to Cyprus and spend at least two months away from Moscow.
Ticking off points on his fingers, Eradzh explained his logic as Russia has churned through tens of thousands of volunteer soldiers lured to the battlefield in Ukraine through fat payouts, while making only small gains in territory.
“Have the contract soldiers most likely run out? They’ve run out,” he said. “Have we captured anything? We haven’t. Did the negotiations lead anywhere? They didn’t. Will Putin dig his heels in? He will dig his heels in.”
“Will there be a mobilization? Most likely, yes,” he said recently in a cafe in central Moscow. Eradzh, like others interviewed, agreed to talk only on the condition that his last name not be used.
For months, the fear of a possible mobilization — a second wave of the draft that began in September 2022 — has become a fixture of daily life across Russia.
---
Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit andlog intoyour Times account, orsubscribefor all of The Times.
---
Thank you for your patience while we verify access.
Already a subscriber?Log in.
Want all of The Times?Subscribe.
Related Content
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Advertisement
SKIP ADVERTISEMENT
Site Index
Site Information Navigation
* ©2026 The New York Times Company
* NYTCo
* Contact Us
* Accessibility
* Work with us
* Advertise
* T Brand Studio
* Privacy Policy
* Cookie Policy
* Terms of Service
* Terms of Sale
* Site Map
* Canada
* International
* Help
* Subscriptions
* Manage Privacy Preferences
Skip to contentSkip to site index
Europe
Today’s Paper
Russia-Ukraine War
* War Escalation
* Underground Schools
* Russian Drone Strikes
* C.I.A. Chief’s Assessment
* Ukraine’s Drone Army
* Photos
Advertisement
SKIP ADVERTISEMENT
You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load.
Supported by
SKIP ADVERTISEMENT
Flee, Hide or Sit Tight? Russians Are on Edge Over Rumors of a Draft.
The Kremlin has denied that a mass mobilization is being prepared, but some military-age men are taking no chances.
Listen · 8:31 min
*
*
*
!A person in camouflage faces away on sandy ground, observing a group of people in similar uniforms. The group, holding guns, stands near a forest.
*Russian soldiers during military drills in Minsk, Belarus, last year.
Credit...
Nanna Heitmann for The New York Times*
By
Ivan Nechepurenko
Reporting from Moscow
Sept. 5, 2026
Updated 7:11 a.m. ET
See more of our coverage in your search results. Encuentra más de nuestra cobertura en los resultados de búsqueda. Add The New York Times on Google Agrega The New York Times en Google
As anxiety over rumors of a forced military mobilization began to sweep through Moscow, Eradzh, a 36-year-old entrepreneur, turned to his A.I. assistant to parse the news and calculate the likelihood of a draft.
Eventually, the probability became high enough that he asked the program to find him a cheap flight out of Russia. In about a week, Eradzh will fly to Cyprus and spend at least two months away from Moscow.
Ticking off points on his fingers, Eradzh explained his logic as Russia has churned through tens of thousands of volunteer soldiers lured to the battlefield in Ukraine through fat payouts, while making only small gains in territory.
“Have the contract soldiers most likely run out? They’ve run out,” he said. “Have we captured anything? We haven’t. Did the negotiations lead anywhere? They didn’t. Will Putin dig his heels in? He will dig his heels in.”
“Will there be a mobilization? Most likely, yes,” he said recently in a cafe in central Moscow. Eradzh, like others interviewed, agreed to talk only on the condition that his last name not be used.
For months, the fear of a possible mobilization — a second wave of the draft that began in September 2022 — has become a fixture of daily life across Russia.
---
Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit andlog intoyour Times account, orsubscribefor all of The Times.
---
Thank you for your patience while we verify access.
Already a subscriber?Log in.
Want all of The Times?Subscribe.
Related Content
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Advertisement
SKIP ADVERTISEMENT
Site Index
Site Information Navigation
* ©2026 The New York Times Company
* NYTCo
* Contact Us
* Accessibility
* Work with us
* Advertise
* T Brand Studio
* Privacy Policy
* Cookie Policy
* Terms of Service
* Terms of Sale
* Site Map
* Canada
* International
* Help
* Subscriptions
* Manage Privacy Preferences
🔗 Share Article
Tags:#روسيا#أوكرانيا#تجنيد إجباري#الحرب#موسكو#القوات المسلحة
Source: New York Times
For Context
Related reads from the same topic or latest developments
