Free Republic

A Russian propaganda video is circulating on social media, mocking the men who fled the country to neighboring nations in order to avoid being conscripted as part of President Vladimir Putin's partial mobilization decree. The origin of the clip is unclear, but it has been shared by multiple Telegram channels. It attempts to portray the men who are staying in Russia as "men" and those who flee as "boys." In the video, a wealthy Russian man says that he's escaping to neighboring Georgia, presumably to avoid conscription, and he's promptly mocked for doing so.

Russia has acknowledged for the first time that it doesn't have enough equipment for mobilized soldiers in its war against Ukraine. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Wednesday that there are issues with equipment for the hundreds of thousands of men being sent to fight in Ukraine under President Vladimir Putin's partial mobilization decree. Peskov said a newly-formed council created by Putin is working on resolving problems with equipment. "Vigorous measures taken to rectify the situation are already yielding the first positive results," he said. Regional authorities are working on providing "the missing gear," Peskov said, noting that Deputy...