September was a rocky month for Vladimir Putin, the Russian strongman used to getting his way after more than two decades at the top of Russia’s political hierarchy.
First came a tactical embarrassment of monumental proportions, when Russian forces lost more than 1,000 square miles of territory south of Kharkiv, Ukraine, in a manner of days — exposing the Russian army’s slapdash nature for the umpteenth time. Then came the diplomatic finger-wagging from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who used a public appearance with Putin on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit to urge him toward dialogue. A day earlier, Putin himself acknowledged that China, which Moscow increasingly depends on for political and economic support, had “questions and concerns” about how the war was proceeding.
Putin’s mobilization of 300,000 reservists, a decision he avoided for nearly eight months, sparked the most vocal acts of opposition from the Russian public since the war began. Protests cropped up in dozens of cities and towns across the country. Terrified at the idea of risking their lives for a mystifying cause, men eligible for the draft rushed to airports, bus depots and train stations; at least 200,000 Russians have fled the country since the Kremlin’s order was announced. Russian business leaders are so concerned about the loss of able-bodied workers that they are asking the Russian government to exempt those with specialized skills.
