Putin's Mass Conscription Sparks 'Ultra-Fast Joint Wedding Ceremony' Spectacle

Marriage Allowed Only After 1 Month of Document Submission... Mobilization Order Added to Exceptions
300,000 Combat-Ready Men Flee Abroad After Mobilization Order Announcement

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] After President Vladimir Putin issued a partial mobilization order for reservists, several couples in Russia were seen gathering together to hold simultaneous "speed weddings."

On the 16th (local time), the British Daily Mail and other outlets, citing Russian local media, reported, "Russia is currently hosting large-scale weddings conducted rapidly for men mobilized in the Ukraine war."

According to reports, about ten couples attended a wedding held last week at a registry office in Saint Petersburg. After filling out marriage applications, those gathered exchanged rings and kissed. One couple participating in the wedding told the media, "We are happy to have our relationship legally recognized." Another couple said, "This is a very good gift for our family," adding, "He will definitely return from the war."

According to Russian local law, at least one month must pass after submitting a marriage application before the wedding can take place. However, recently, Moscow authorities added the mobilization order as an exception allowing weddings to proceed quickly. Thanks to this, young men can marry their partners before going to the battlefield.

However, some criticism has emerged, stating that this procedure "has no other meaning than ensuring that the wife can receive compensation if the soldier dies on the front line."

Recently, Russian recruitment authorities have been conducting indiscriminate conscriptions regardless of time and place. On this day, The Washington Post (WP) reported that Russian police and forced conscription officers were patrolling central Moscow and other areas, conscripting men of the age group subject to the reservist mobilization order. According to the report, dozens were conscripted at a homeless shelter in Moscow on this day, and about 200 workers were forcibly conscripted at a construction company dormitory in the early morning of the 13th.

In response, some men are reportedly fleeing abroad or to rural areas to avoid conscription. On the 9th, Germany's dpa news agency compiled the number of entrants to Russia's neighboring countries and reported that 300,000 men of combat age fled abroad after the partial mobilization order for reservists. The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Kazakhstan, which shares a border with Russia, also reported that 200,000 Russians entered the country after the mobilization announcement.

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