Quote:
Originally Posted by colebatch
Anything non factual or objective should be noted as such including sources .... for example ... "there are rumours originating from Ukrainian telegram channels that Russia is preparing to close its borders to men of military age" as opposed to "Russia is preparing to close its border to men of military age".
|
If you claim to be the source of truth here, correcting others, then you would do well to stop assuming where others' information is coming from.
Quote:
The border crossing with Georgia (there is only one) has long queues. The border crossings with Finland however do not have them.
|
Correct, insofar as the Finnish border previously required a valid Schengen visa for Russian citizens to cross. Finland had already significantly reduced its own Schengen visa processing capacity for Russians, and as of the end of September,
Russian citizens are not allowed into Finland even if they have valid Schengen tourist visas. (Finnish national broadcaster quoting Finnish government sources, NOT a Ukrainian telegram channel.)
And yes, if you are an EU/US/UK passport holder currently in Russia, you can get out via the Finnish, Norwegian, Latvian or Estonian border crossings easily enough. Less so if you try to get out via the Georgian, Kazakh or Mongolian borders (where Russian passport holders don't need visas, so there have been long queues).
Quote:
Firstly, Mass mobilisation has NOT been announced. A partial mobilisation has been announced, comprising previous service members only.
|
A "partial" mobilization that is not legally restricted in size. The relevant article (#7) of the signed bill is top secret. Here is the relevant Ukrainian telegram group for you:
Указ «Об*объявлении частичной мобилизации в*Российской Федерации» • Президент России
Also, the definition of "previous service member" here includes anyone who's done conscript service, which means almost every male citizen of Russia over 18, plus the women in militarily relevant professions, so doctors and nurses. (Reservists in the sense of people who have actively signed up to be in an army reserve, undergo regular refresher training and be called up if necessary, are the BARS units that have already been on the front lines for months.)
Quote:
Strict guidelines for eligibility have been announced confirming that.
|
Have they? Because the actual presidential order contains no strict guidelines and no exclusions. There are only a bunch of interviews with the Defense Minister and other government officials, each of whom has their own opinions about who will and won't be called up - but none of it has the force of law, even insofar as that counts in Russia.
Quote:
Secondly, the Russian authorities have not announced any plans to ban men of military age leaving the country. There has been nothing more than speculation that such a ban will occur. It may happen in the future, who knows. But it is not fact. It is at this time mere rumour.
|
Speculation by credible sources in the Presidential Administration (
https://meduza.io/news/2022/09/25/is...zhat-iz-rossii).
Furthermore, men of military age
who have received draft notices are forbidden from leaving their official place of residence without the written permission of their local Voenkomat (source: the actual law of the Russian Federation,
Статья 21. Обязанности граждан, подлежащих призыву на военную службу по мобилизации \ КонсультантПлюс). And the Russian authorities have set up mobile draft notice distribution kiosks at overland border posts.