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The Daily

Scenes from a Russian Draft Office

This fall, as Russia’s losses mounted in Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin announced a draft. Almost immediately, hundreds of thousands of men fled the country, though many more stayed. Valerie Hopkins, an international correspondent for The Times, spoke to Russians at a draft office in Moscow to gauge how they felt about going to war and who they blame for the fighting. Guest: Valerie Hopkins, an international correspondent covering the war in Ukraine for The New York Times.
Duration
39m
Broadcast on
15 Dec 2022
Audio Format
other

This fall, as Russia’s losses mounted in Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin announced a draft. Almost immediately, hundreds of thousands of men fled the country, though many more stayed.

Valerie Hopkins, an international correspondent for The Times, spoke to Russians at a draft office in Moscow to gauge how they felt about going to war and who they blame for the fighting.

Guest: Valerie Hopkins, an international correspondent covering the war in Ukraine for The New York Times.

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For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

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This podcast is supported by TikTok. Sometimes the most interesting discoveries are the ones you weren't looking for. That happens every day on TikTok. A science experiment can spark a whole new interest. A recipe you stumble upon can become a meal you make for the people you love. And a restaurant you've never heard of might become your new favorite spot. That's the thing about TikTok. Follow your curiosity and see where it leads. Your next discovery is waiting on TikTok. From the New York Times, I'm Serena Tavernisi, and this is The Daily. As Russia's losses mounted in Ukraine, its president, Vladimir Putin, announced a draft. Almost immediately, several hundred thousand Russian men fled the country, but many more stayed. Today, my colleague, Valerie Hopkins, talked to Russians caught up in that mass mobilization this fall. I asked her what they thought about going to war and what it might mean for the regime of Vladimir Putin. It's Thursday, December 15th. So, Valerie, just to set the table here, you went to Moscow a few days after Vladimir Putin, president of Russia, announced a draft. And just as a reminder, this was a huge moment, right? Both for Putin, who'd been losing on the battlefield for months, and for many Russians, most of whom weren't in the military, and were just living their lives and might suddenly have to go off and fight this war that he started. So, what did you see when you got to Moscow? So, I've been to Russia several times in the past few months. I first went earlier this summer and was really struck by how normal everything seemed and how parties in normal life was just continuing, even if the prices got a bit more expensive. But now when I went back after mobilization, that was when Moscow started to feel really, really different. I was trying to put my finger on it. You know, the more time I spent out in pool halls or in restaurants and bars, I realized that disproportionately, there were way more women than men. I found myself constantly trying to count men in all the places I went to, like gyms that were just full of women without male trainers. I also went to a barbershop that had really struggled with this business because both the barbers and the customers, like half of them were gone. So, you know, on a Friday afternoon, when many posh men are getting ready for the weekend, want to get their beard waxed or, you know, have their hair cut,

Transcription truncated.

This fall, as Russia’s losses mounted in Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin announced a draft. Almost immediately, hundreds of thousands of men fled the country, though many more stayed. Valerie Hopkins, an international correspondent for The Times, spoke to Russians at a draft office in Moscow to gauge how they felt about going to war and who they blame for the fighting. Guest: Valerie Hopkins, an international correspondent covering the war in Ukraine for The New York Times.