New polls show Russians are turning on Vladimir Putin as thousands continue to flee over mobilisation call

A new poll has revealed a significant number of Russian citizens are now “shocked” with the state of war as the knock of conscription bangs for more innocent civilians.

Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a Security Council meeting via a video link in Moscow on September 29, 2022. (Photo by Gavriil GRIGOROV / SPUTNIK / AFP)

A significant number of Russian citizens are now very concerned with the state of the conflict in Ukraine, more than seven months after Vladimir Putin’s invasion, a new poll has found

Feelings of anxiety, fear and horror are experienced by 47 per cent of Russians who took part in the survey, Prague-based television network Present Time reported.

An equal number of respondents said they were either in “shock” or had experienced “pride in Russia” after Putin’s declaration of mobilisation last week.

Overall support for the war is waning among the nation’s 145 million people as thousands flee to the border to avoid military call-ups.

The proportion of Russian who believe that Putin’s “special military operation” is progressing successfully has decreased significantly.

One third of the respondents believe that the operation has not been successful.

Two-thirds of the respondents fear that due to hostilities in Ukraine, a general mobilisation will be announced in Russia, meaning thousands more will be forced to fight in the war.

In February, at the very beginning of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, those fears were expressed by half as many respondents (28 per cent).

A significant number of Russians say they're now very worried/concerned about the conflict in Ukraine, according to this new @levada_ru poll. The increase is due largely to Putin's mobilization order from Sept. 21. https://t.co/LaeITtWBfYpic.twitter.com/BEsS0NMe56

— Mike Eckel (@Mike_Eckel) September 30, 2022

It came as 23 people died and 28 were wounded after Russian forces shelled a civilian humanitarian convoy in the southern Ukraine region of Zaporizhzhia.

“As of now we know about 23 dead and 28 injured. All civilians, local people. Burn in hell damned Russians,” Oleksandr Starukh wrote on Telegram.

A Moscow-installed official in Kherson was killed in the strikes, prompting Russia’s state-run news agency to accuse Ukraine of the attack, labelling it “heinous provocation”.

“The first deputy head of security in the Kherson administration, Alexei Katerinichev, died as a result of a missile attack by Ukrainian troops in the centre of Kherson,” RIA Novosti said.

“The Kyiv regime is trying to portray what happened as shelling by Russian troops, resorting to a heinous provocation,” Vladimir Rogov, a Moscow-backed official said on Telegram. “Ukrainian fighters committed yet another terrorist act.”

TOPSHOT - This photo taken on September 11, 2022 shows a security person standing in front of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Enerhodar (Energodar), Zaporizhzhia Oblast, amid the ongoing Russian military action in Ukraine. - The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station in southeastern Ukraine is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe and among the 10 largest in the world. (Photo by STRINGER / AFP)

Panic over mobilisation continues

Putin’s threat that Russia would be mobilising 300,000 soldiers has generated panic among young men, who now refuse to shed blood in Ukraine after witnessing over seven months of pain for the military.

There has been a surge in videos of young men hitting each other with sledgehammers in an attempt to break hands and legs to avoid service.

Earlier this week, a video of a Russian servicewoman addressing new conscripts about their lack of supplies did the rounds on social media, further highlighting the dire reality for young Russians unlucky enough to be hauled away for military service.

One image taken by Maxar Technologies showed a string of cars lined up for some 20 kilometres. Others have reportedly cycled and even walked to their closest border crossing.

“I have no choice but to flee Russia,” one man, who just made it over the Georgian border, told AFP this week

“Why on earth would I need to go to that crazy war? I am no cannon fodder. I am not a murderer.”

Vladimir Putin’s threat that Russia would be mobilising 300,000 soldiers has generated panic among young men, who now refuse to shed blood in Ukraine after witnessing over seven months of pain for the military.

Fleeing Russians decrying Putin’s latest move refused to give their real names for fear of future consequences.

“Our president wants to drag all of us in the fratricidal war, which he declared on totally illegitimate grounds. I want to escape,” another added.

“To me, this is not a nice Georgia holiday, this is an emigration.”

For many, Putin’s mobilisation is the “final straw”, as public opposition to the new mandate grows. Protesters have already been rounded up by the thousands, with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights confirming on Tuesday that more than 2,300 people were detained across Russia at protests.

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg responded, warning Russia of the catastrophic consequences of prompting Western intervention upon the launch of nuclear warheads.

“Russia must know that the nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought,” he said.