Leaving her husband and escaping to Germany alone … A Russian doctor told me about the fear of not knowing when she would be summoned | Business Insider Japan

• A Russian doctor told Insider that she fled the country for fear of being drafted into the war in Ukraine.
• Due to the compulsory courses taken in medical school, women are automatically enrolled as officers in the reserves, she said.
• A former nurse in Russia also told Insider she would rather go to jail than do military service.

Partial mobilization orderMen are not the only ones to flee Russia following the order.

It was while working as a doctor in St. Petersburg that Barbara began to fear that she too might be drafted into the army.

Varvara, who in no case intended to serve in the army, packed her bags, said goodbye to her husband and hastily left Russia.

“I had been planning to move to Germany for some time for work, but due to the partial mobilization decree I had to speed up,” Barbara told Insider.

Most of the doctors in Russia are women

Barbara and her husband had planned to move to Germany in November. A job has been secured in a German hospital and the couple are looking forward to starting a new life together.

However, when Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on September 21 that he had signed a partial mobilization order for the military and that 300,000 reservists with military experience would be immediately recalled, Varvara began to feel uneasy. .

“I couldn’t imagine being in a war. It’s not our war.”

The partial mobilization order was initially thought to target male reservists, but a spokesman for the Russian military department said:Russian state mediaShe said women with certain specialties, including medical personnel, could also be called.

in Russiamore than 700,000 doctorsof theabout 70%is a woman

Tamilla Imanova, a Memorial Human Rights Center lawyer, said that “many” female doctors have already been summoned by the Russian independent media.Jellyfish‘ She said.

In early October, Russian Defense Minister Shoigu said the women were not summoned.explained to the press.Barbara had already left Russia at that time, butreportThat said, Shoigu’s explanation is questionable.

“We didn’t think about the importance of things”.

When they attended medical school some 20 years ago, the Barbara had to undergo mandatory military training. It was the norm, but since 2010 it has been mandatory.

“At the time, we weren’t thinking about the meaning or implications of that,” Barbara said.

After completing the required courses, the Varvara were automatically registered as specialized officers in the Russian military reserve. A few years ago, she had the option to deregister, but Barbara said she didn’t do anything.

Barbara felt it might be her turn to be summoned later, as she was a registered reserve officer and doctor. The nurses who worked in the same hospital had already received the summons and she feared that she would soon receive them too.

“I left Russia in a hurry because I thought that if I received a draft, I would automatically not be allowed to leave the country. I would not be allowed to cross the border,” Barbara said.

Thus, Barbara decided to flee the country. My husband had not yet received a visa from Germany, so I had no choice but to leave alone.

“I was about to leave Kazakhstan in a panic, but I heard that people were queuing for three days and there was a problem at the border. I’m outside the border.”

Barbara said she was asked relatively few questions at the border control office about why she left the country because she was a woman. The Russian side never questioned her and the Finnish side said she was allowed to enter the country because she had a German visa.

Once in Finland, Barbara bought a ticket to Germany. She hasn’t revealed where she lives now for fear of being identified.

Barbara hopes to be able to live with her husband in Germany again in November. She says she won’t be returning to Russia anytime soon.

“I have relatives and friends[in Russia]I have social ties, but right now the threat to me outweighs everything else and I don’t want to go back. “

their military duty as indicated by a stamp in the passport

Others continue to stay in Russia, feeling the same fear of being drafted.

anti-war artist in custody,Alessandra (Sasha) Skochlenkobe a partner ofSonia Subochinahe told Insider he would not leave St. Petersburg to help Skochlenko.

But with a degree in nursing and pharmacy and a passport stamped with compulsory military service, he fears he’ll be drafted soon.

“I’m in St. Petersburg right now and I’m nervous because I have things to do: deliver food and medicine to Sasha, negotiate an appointment with a doctor and consult a lawyer on how to fight,” Subochina said. Skochilenko, who has been in detention for more than six months, suffers from various health problems.

Svochina could be sent to Ukraine if summoned due to her medical background. However, she Subochina said she will categorically refuse to serve in the army and she is ready to face any consequences.

“I will not join this war under any circumstances. My beloved woman is in prison because of this war. The Russian invasion of Ukraine destroyed our lives in mid-April. Convocation.” If I receive a warrant, I will ignore it. , I “would rather go to jail”.

[originale:Una dottoressa è fuggita dalla Russia per evitare di essere arruolata tra i timori che la “mobilitazione parziale” includerà donne mediche］

(Tradotto e curato da Yoshimi Yamaguchi)