- Insider heard from a female doctor who fled Russia after she was afraid of being called up to Ukraine.
- She was required to take a course in her medical degree and was therefore automatically enrolled as a Reserve Officer.
- Insider heard from another Russian woman who was a nurse but said that she would prefer to go to prison over serve.
Not only men are fleeing Russia following the announcement of Partially military mobilization
Varvara, who requested to only be identified by her first initial, was a St. Petersburg-based doctor when she began to fear she might be called to the top.
She was not willing to serve in any circumstance and packed her bags.
Insider reported that she had been planning to move to Germany for some time for work. “But due to partial mobilization I had to accelerate this.”
Russia’s majority of doctors are women
Varvara and her husband had planned to move to Germany in November. The couple had made plans for the future and Varvara was offered a job at a hospital in Germany.
Varvara started to feel anxious after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced partial mobilization of 300,000 reservists who had military experience and that they would soon get called up.
She said, “It was impossible for me to imagine participating.” “This is not our conflict.”
Although the partial mobilization announcement was understood to be referring to male reservists only, it was a spokesperson for Russia’s mobilization department State media in September that a small number of women with certain military specialties — including medical professionals — could be called on to take some positions.
A majority – approximately 70% – of the more than 700,000 doctors in Russia are women.
Tamilla Imanova, a lawyer from the Memorial Human Rights Center, speculated to Meduza that female physicians were already being drafted “en masse.”
In October, Russian defense minister Sergey Shoigu clarified to reporters that women were not being called up. However, Varvara had already left the country by this point. Besides, she said, she is skeptical of this claim, given that reports suggest that Russia is not following all aspectsYou can find the decree.
“We didn’t consider the consequences”
Varvara was required to attend a military training program at her university as part of her medical education, almost 20 years ago. This was once a standard practice in Russia, but it is no longer required.
Varvara stated, “At the time we took the course, it was not possible to think about the consequences or what that might imply.”
She was automatically enrolled in the Russian reserve as a specialist after she had completed the course. Varvara stated that she had the option to withdraw from the mandatory course a few decades ago but never took it.
Varvara was convinced by her status as a reservist officers and her medical training that she would be joining the next wave. She was was nervous that she might receive a draft summons soon — a fear compounded by rumblings that female nurses in her hospital had already received notices.
Varvara explained that Varvara believed that if he sent a draft notice to me, it would mean that I was prohibited from leaving the nation. Varvara added that this contributed to my hurry to leave the country. “I wouldn’t be allowed to cross the border.”
Varvara took the decision to run. She reluctantly made the trip alone because her husband hadn’t yet received his Germany visa.
AP
She said, “In a panic I planned to leave Kazakhstan through Kazakhstan. But then, there were reports of people queuing for three or more days and issues at the border.” “I calmed down and replanted, and I was able to cross the Finnish border.
She stated that she was a woman and border officials did not ask her many questions about why she left. She claimed that Russian authorities didn’t question her and that Finnish border officials allowed her entry because she was granted a German visa.
After she had arrived in Finland, she purchased a ticket for Germany. She refused to identify the place she was living because it could be used to identify her.
She is currently waiting anxiously in Germany in hopes that her husband will be able join her in November. She indicated that she did not foresee a return to Russia immediately.
It’s where I have my family, friends, and social networks. However, at the moment, the risk for me outweighs any other, and I don’t want to return,” she stated.
A stamp on a passport that indicates that the person is eligible for military service
Sonia Subbotina/Insider
Other people have no plans to leave Russia, despite sharing the same fear of being drafted due to their medical backgrounds.
Sonia SubbotinaThe girlfriend of a jailed antiwar artist Alexandra SkochilenkoInsider was informed by a friend that she plans to stay in St. Petersburg indefinitely to take care of Skochilenko.
However, she is nervous about the possibility that her nursing and pharmacy degrees and passport stamp indicating that she is eligible for military service could be used to call her up.
She said, “I feel anxious because I need to be there right now and take care Sasha’s situation – bring her food and medicine, negotiate doctor visits, and discuss defense strategy with her attorney.” Skochilenko, who is in a temporary jail cell for more than half an year, is suffering from a range of health problems.
Her medical background could mean that she is drafted. Subbotina has vowed to refuse to serve, and she is ready to face any consequences.
She said, “I will not take part in this war in any capacity.” “This war has put my wife in prison. In April, our lives were destroyed when the Russians invaded Ukraine. I will not respond to a draft notice if I get it. I would prefer to go to prison if they start looking for me.”
