The 21st of September was the day when the war came back to Russia, says Akati. Putin promised them just two weeks after they invaded that there will be no draft or reservists. That promise has been broken and people understand this is much bigger than special military operation. He's paying that high political cost for not a great deal of gain on the battlefield. If Putin actually commits this young man 18 to 27 to battle in Ukraine, that will further antagonize Russian society.
Prime Minister Liz Truss has had a bruising first few weeks in office. Amid policy U-turns and plummeting poll numbers, her Tory party’s annual shindig is a venue for much soul-searching. Russia’s “partial mobilisation” is unlikely to help much on the battlefield—and is proving exceedingly unpopular at home. And the dangers of naming species after people who become notorious.
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