People fleeing across borders is a hallmark of armed conflict. We first saw millions of Ukrainians flee the country when the Russians invaded Ukraine in February this year. Now there are reports of hundreds of thousands of Russians fleeing their country in order to avoid Russia’s first mobilisation since the second world war.
So how should the west respond to young Russian men fleeing to avoid military service? Politically and legally, according to international law, they must be given protection.
Conscription into military service has a long history dating back at least to ancient Egypt. But it has been slowly disappearing with the professionalisation of the world’s militaries. However, conscription remains a rite of passage in more than 100 countries – including Russia which has a long and difficult practice of conscription.
