• Many Russian men fear being transported to the front lines if they participate.
• Staf, who is currently in Montenegro, said, “It felt very dangerous to stay.”
• Female demonstrators in Russia are more susceptible to the danger of sexual violence.

Data from rallies in Russia against President Vladimir Putin’s preparations for the war in Ukraine show that a growing number of detainees are women, as many Russian men fear being transported to the front lines if they participate.

According to court records, more women in Moscow were arrested in connection with the anti-war demonstrations that took place in February and March during the early weeks of the conflict than during prior anti-Putin demonstrations.

On the evening of September 24, 19-year-old Lisa was one of the protesting ladies who made their way to central Moscow. A police officer wearing body armour grabbed her arm and forced her into a van before she could join the mob. She was held in custody for a week.

Following Putin’s announcement three days prior that certain reserve soldiers might be called up to fight in Ukraine, tens of thousands of Russian men fled the country, frequently via detours.

“When the war started, I felt like my future was not happening anymore,” said Lisa, who asked to use only her first name for fear of repercussions. “But I also started feeling guilty for thinking about my own future when people in Ukraine felt much more fear every day.”

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Lisa provided Reuters with records and images pertaining to her imprisonment.

Unauthorized rallies are prohibited by Russian legislation, which also outlaws any conduct that is thought to disparage the military forces, according to Russian authorities, who claim that this is why protesters are being jailed.

Data from OVD-Info, a Russian organisation that tracks protests, shows that women made up 51% of the 1,383 people detained during the anti-mobilization protest on September 21 and 71% of the 848 people detained on September 24.

According to the group, the anti-mobilization protests on Sept. 21 and Sept. 24 were the greatest in a series of demonstrations and that a greater proportion of women were imprisoned on that day because several men were concerned about being recruited if they were caught.

Draft documents

After being detained, two male protestors and a Russian male journalist covering the events told Reuters they had received documents summoning them to the military registration office.

Vladislav Staf, 30, a historian without military experience, claimed that he and a dozen other men who were placed in the same police van after being detained on September 21 received draught notices. A week after his release from custody, he left Russia.

Staf, who is currently in Montenegro, said, “It felt very dangerous to stay.” He displayed a draught of his document to Reuters.

According to OVD-Info, at least 17 police departments conscripted male demonstrators on September 21 and at least 16 departments on September 24.

Reuters sent emails on Thursday to the Russian interior ministry’s Moscow section inquiring about the OVD-Info data and Staf’s account, but has not yet received a response.

According to a Reuters review of court records, at least 30% of those prosecuted were protesting women in the first two weeks of the conflict in February and March, up from at least 11% in protests in 2021 and at least 6% in protests in 2019.

In February, Lisa participated in her first protest by chanting “no to war.”

Given that Reuters could only reliably identify the gender of protestors from their surnames in around 80% of cases, the proportion of women was probably higher in each of the three years. Russian surnames typically have distinct male and female ends. Reuters examined instances of the most prevalent accusations brought against demonstrators.

Fear of enlistment

Ella Rossman, a scholar at University College London’s School of Slavonic and East European Studies, explained that the increase in the proportion of women at protests was due to both burgeoning Russian feminism and men’s concerns about being drafted.

In 2021, there were 45 Russian feminist groups, up from around 30 in 2019, according to Rossman, who is charting Russian feminist movement.

According to OVD-Info attorney Daria Korolenko, female demonstrators in Russia are more susceptible to the danger of sexual violence. Between September 21 and September 26, the group recorded nearly 200 examples of women who were held in connection with protests who were either threatened with sexual abuse, denied food or sleep, or endured other forms of mistreatment.

Inquiries about the statistics on women’s mistreatment that Reuters addressed to the Russian interior ministry and its Moscow section via email on Thursday have not yet received a response.

Elizaveta, 27, who asked to only be named by her first name, claimed that after protesting in February, she was given a 12-day jail sentence. Nine of those days were spent at a police station, where she stayed in a dark cell and slept on the cold floor. The only food was what friends supplied, and there was no hot water. She displayed to Reuters records and images pertaining to her arrest.

A statement was requested by Reuters through email on Thursday and has not yet been responded to either the Russian interior ministry or its Moscow branch.

On September 22, Elizaveta protested once more. According to her, there were mostly ladies present that day.

Women have opposed the war in more places than just the streets.

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