Russians Increasingly Search Online for 'Arm Fracture Methods'... Seeking Military Service Evasion Amid Mobilization Order

Seeking Various Means Such as Overseas Escape
Concerns Over Bribery for Military Service Evasion Purposes

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] In Russia, where a partial mobilization order has been issued targeting 300,000 reservists, there has been a noticeable increase in online searches for various methods to evade military service, especially among men subject to conscription. There are concerns that bribery to avoid military service will also become widespread in the future.

According to the British newspaper The Guardian on the 21st (local time), searches for various ways to evade military service, such as "how to break an arm" and "how to avoid conscription," have surged on internet search engines like Google and Russia's Yandex. With fears that the number of mobilization targets could significantly increase due to worsening war conditions, many men are reportedly seeking ways to evade military service.

Concerns over the economic burden caused by the transition to a wartime system have also led to a sharp decline in the Russian stock market. On the day, the Russian stock market MOEX index fell to 2,002.73 at one point, the lowest since the invasion of Ukraine on February 24, before recovering some losses to close at 2,130.7, down 3.8% from the previous day. The ruble exchange rate also hit 62.7975 rubles per dollar at one point, marking the lowest ruble value since July 7.

Following the announcement of the mobilization order, opposition movements grew, prompting the Russian Central Bank to introduce support measures such as deferring debt repayments for those subject to mobilization. The Ministry of Defense also sought to soothe public sentiment by stating that university students and conscripts are not included in the mobilization targets. However, as fear spreads, various problems such as the use of bribes to evade military service are expected to continue.

Russian political analyst Dmitry Oreshkin explained, "Russian people will try to avoid this mobilization order by all possible means, including bribery or leaving the country. Until recently, Russian citizens participated in the war by sitting on the sofa watching TV, but the mobilization order is a personal blow to them. Now the war has entered their homes, and desperate actions will follow."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.