Russian human rights organizations are reporting a sharp increase in the number of citizens seeking advice on how to avoid a potential new mobilization, according to the independent outlet Verstka. The projects "Idite Lesom" (Go to the Forest), the "Conscientious Objectors Movement" (DSO), and "School of the Conscript" all told Verstka that daily inquiries have surged.
Grigory Sverdlin, founder of Idite Lesom, said the group now receives 150–200 consultation requests each day. "Panic — not panic, but there is certainly a lot of anxiety," he said.
A DSO representative told Verstka that the nature of the questions has also changed. While in the spring people asked whether a mobilization would indeed happen in the fall, the phrasing has now shifted: "There will be a mobilization in the fall — what to do?" The source added that "panic is gradually giving way to apathetic readiness for the worst-case scenario."
Alexei Tabalov, founder of the School of the Conscript, confirmed a sharp rise in inquiries, including from those in the reserve. He said people are asking about mobilization orders, information gathering, and the compilation of lists at their workplaces.
The growing anxiety is reflected in search engine data. According to Yandex Wordstat, the phrase "will there be mobilization" was searched 204,000 times in July. Searches for "mobilization deferment" and "deferment from mobilization" received 32,000 and 28,000 impressions respectively. Previous peaks for these queries were recorded in late 2022, at 15,000–20,000.
On Google Trends, the popularity of the query "deferment from mobilization" reached a maximum score of 100 for the first time in July. In late May, Russians also searched for information on mobilization orders a record 18,000 times on Yandex.
There is no official confirmation that a new wave of mobilization is being prepared. However, sources of Verstka and the outlet Important Stories have said that Russian authorities are discussing such a scenario. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has also stated, citing intelligence data, that Vladimir Putin is ready to conduct a mobilization. Dmitry Medvedev, in turn, called these reports a "lying provocation."