Nick Schifrin:
This year, Moscow introduced new laws to expand their pool of recruits, raising the maximum age and restricting recruits' ability to access government services until they report for duty.
And the government launched a campaign to try and convince more Russians to sign up, including ads on TV that suggest soldiers, not civilians, are real men. And Moscow increased soldiers' pay, often appealing to Russian minorities.
As for Alex, days after he was mobilized and arrived on base, he crawled under a hole in the fence and into a taxi. He sped to the airport and got on the first flight he could to Kazakstan, where he still lives today. He's safe, but stuck in limbo. He lives incognito, with a Russian criminal case for desertion hanging over his head.
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