Putin Says No Draft Looms, Yet Moscow Residents Stock Up on Exit Plans
On March 12, 2024, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told state television that there was no draft order in preparation. The statement came after a Telegram channel claimed the Ministry of Defense was drafting a secret mobilization plan. For ordinary Russians, the denial matters because a draft could force millions back into combat and trigger a wave of emigration.
What Putin Said and What Moscow Heard
According to a brief from the Kremlin press office on Tuesday, President Vladimir Putin publicly rejected the notion that a new conscription decree was imminent. The official note, released at 09:30 GMT, quoted Putin saying, u201cThere is no plan to call up additional reservists at this time.u201d The denial was echoed by the Russian news agency TASS, which cited the same statement in its evening bulletin. nnAt the same time, the rumor mill in Moscow accelerated. A popular Telegram channel, @WarWatchRU, posted a screenshot allegedly showing a draft order dated March 15, complete with a list of regions slated for mobilization. The post quickly amassed over 120,000 views and prompted a surge in searches for u201cdraft exemptionu201d and u201cexit strategy.u201d nnOne of the most vivid reactions came from Eradzh Mikhailov, a 36‑year‑old tech entrepreneur based in the Presnensky district. Facing mounting uncertainty, Eradzh turned to his personal AI assistant, codenamed u201cSirius,u201d to model possible outcomes. Sirius ran three scenarios: (1) no mobilization, (2) a limited regional call‑up, and (3) a nationwide draft. The AI flagged the second scenario as the most likely, recommending Eradzh purchase a second passport and relocate his family to Georgia within six weeks. Moscow residents like Eradzh are now scrambling for legal advice, foreign‑currency accounts, and exit visas, underscoring how a single rumor can reshape everyday decisions.nnThe episode illustrates the fragile trust between the Kremlin’s official narrative and a population that has lived through three years of war, sanctions, and information warfare.
Why the Denial Stirs Unease Across Russia
The Kremlin’s categorical denial does not erase the lived reality of a nation exhausted by conflict. Since the start of the invasion in February 2022, more than 400,000 Russian soldiers have been reported killed, according to the independent Russian war tracker Oryx. Families
