Sold out flights, protests and arrests as Russia begins to mobilize: The Post reporter Mary Ilyushna wrote that within hours of Putin’s speech announcing the partial military mobilization, men across Russia began receiving written notices and calls calling them to work. Some of the men, mostly reservists under the age of 35, spoke to Ilyushina on condition of anonymity about receiving calls they had been dreading for months.
Meanwhile, as protests erupted in some cities and an online petition against the mobilization launched last spring, Google Trends showed a surge in queries such as “how to leave Russia” and even “how to break an arm at home.” 292,000 signatures.