Women escape from Putin's plan: - Is at the top of the list
TBILISI, GEORGIA (Nettavisen): One of them is 24-year-old Ekaterina from the Russian city of Krasnodar, near the border with Ukraine.
The online newspaper meets her at a secret address in the Georgian capital Tbilisi, together with two other Russians. They have all recently fled President Vladimir Putin's mobilization for the war in Ukraine.
Ekaterina arrived in the city two weeks ago, on September 21, the same day as Putin's order. She is an intensive care nurse and risks being sent to the Russian front in Ukraine, she says.
Therefore, Ekaterina chose to leave her mother and sister in Russia. She embarked on a five-day escape across the border into neighboring Georgia.
- I am at the top of the list to be sent to war. Russia needs nurses at the front, she says.
Ekaterina says that several of her female colleagues and acquaintances have fled the country, after receiving orders to get involved in the invasion of Ukraine.
- It is difficult to describe the Russian regime. It's a terrible nightmare, says Ekaterina. She begins to cry.
- What is Russia fighting for and against whom? The war is completely pointless. I want those who are guilty of the war to be punished, she says.
The total extent of the mobilization is not known. Russian media have estimated that 700,000 people have fled since mobilization was announced, although Russian authorities deny this, according to Reuters.