Putin Denies Draft Plans as Russian Men Weigh Flight, Hiding or Staying Put

Across Russia, a quiet dread has taken root in the spaces between official denial and lived experience. Though Vladimir Putin has publicly dismissed any plans for a new military draft, the fear of mobilization has become its own governing reality — shaping the choices of men who must decide whether to flee, hide, or hold still. In a country where past assurances have repeatedly unraveled, the absence of an order is no longer read as safety, but as a pause before the inevitable.