Russians going to war

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As missile strikes by Russia have intensified across Ukraine, we bring together Russians to hear their thoughts on the war. President Putin last month also called for a boost to troop numbers through a ”partial mobilisation”, meaning the call up of 300,000 army reservists. Host James Reynolds hears how families are being torn apart due to opposing views on what is happening. For one young woman, Valya (not her real name) it has created a rift between three generations. She is against the war and wanted her brother to escape to safety rather than be called up. Her parents disagreed, as did her grandparent. Her brother has now gone to fight and she is no longer on speaking terms with her father. “We hear that young men die, that they have been given bad equipment,” says Valya. “I’m afraid my brother will simply die and my parents are convinced that nothing will happen to him, that he will go through some training and will return safely because the government told him so.” Valya no longer lives in Russia. And we also bring together two Russian men who decided to avoid mobilisation and become temporary exiles. They discuss how why they are now living in Kazakhstan and Armenia. Plus, two Russian women in London and Moscow - one anti-war, one pro-war - discuss how they see the conflict. One tells why she would want her grandson to go and fight for Russia. (Photo: Relatives and acquaintances of Russian reservists react at a gathering point in the course of partial mobilisation of troops, in the town of Gatchina in Leningrad Region, Russia October 1, 2022. Credit: Igor Russak/Reuters)