Isn’t there a draft? Why weren’t the missing able bodied men a big enough sign? Like, I get that she’s a woman, but surely she has a father, uncles, brothers, cousins, friends, or romantic partners who have either disappeared or come back broken, no?

Or is it easy for cosmopolitan Russians to get exempted from the draft?

Edit: It’s hard to find sources, but this makes it seem like it’s not easy in metropolitan areas, but it’s way, way more difficult in rural areas.

[–] remon@ani.social 25 points 2 days ago

Russia has mostly been drafting men from poor rural region exactly to avoid that image.

[–] ToiletFlushShowerScream@piefed.world 4 points 2 days ago

Also, perhaps to put it in perspective: the rural population, especially the elder, appears to be much more supportive of Putin and the war. At least according to the few sources I trust. So managing optics in those areas may not be a priority

[–] atro_city@fedia.io 6 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I imagine that most of the people needing the money are in poorer regions, not Muscovites.

[–] idiomaddict@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Right, but it’s not a choice, it’s mandatory conscription. It’s hard to find sources, but this makes it seem like it’s not easy in metropolitan areas, but it’s way, way more difficult in rural areas.

[–] sukhmel@programming.dev 1 points 2 days ago

I heard of a way Moscow businesses did it: they hired people from the far regions to fill draft quotas, that way they fulfilled what was required of them without sending a single person from metropolis. And people hired knew that, but still signed because the payouts 'in Moscow' are bigger.

It's easy to hide your head in the sand if you really want to