Tearful scenes and protest as mobilization gets underway in Russia - CNN

In an early sign of how seriously Moscow is ramping up its efforts, the Human Rights Council of Russia has proposed that immigrants from central Asian countries who have had Russian citizenship for less than 10 years will undergo compulsory military service in Russia for a year.

"We are preparing proposals for new citizens of the Russian Federation who have Russian citizenship for less than 10 years to do compulsory military service for a year for people from Central Asian countries: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan," council member Kirill Kabanov wrote on Telegram Thursday.

"Refusal to perform military duty should entail the deprivation of Russian citizenship not only for a person liable for military service, but also for members of his family," he added.

Controversy in Russia

In his speech, Putin said those with military experience would be subject to conscription, and stressed that the accompanying decree -- which was already signed -- was necessary to "protect our homeland, its sovereignty and its territorial integrity."

But the decree appears to allow for wider mobilization than he suggested in his speech.

So in fact it is the Russian Defense Ministry that will decide who will be sent to war, from where and in what numbers," Chikov said on Telegram.

Following the speech, at least 1,300 people were detained across Russia on Wednesday for participating in nationwide anti-war protests -- with some directly conscripted into the military, according to a monitoring group, after leader Vladimir Putin announced a "partial mobilization" of citizens for his faltering invasion of Ukraine.

Images and videos show police cracking down on demonstrators in multiple cities, with footage showing several protesters at a demonstration in central Moscow being carried away by the police and authorities in St.

The Moscow prosecutor's office on Wednesday also warned citizens against joining protests or distributing information calling for participation -- reminding people that they could face up to 15 years in jail.

When asked on Thursday about reports of people detained at anti-war rallies being handed subpoenas for military conscription, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the practice "is not against the law.

In a rare joint statement, UK Prime Minister Liz Truss and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, said that both agree Putin's announcement of a partial mobilization of Russian citizens is a sign of "weakness."

European Union foreign ministers agreed in New York to push forward with a new round of sanctions against Russia, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told reporters.

Ukraine remained defiant in the face of Putin's announcement, with President Volodymyr Zelensky telling the UNGA in a pre-recorded address Wednesday that Russia was "afraid of real (peace) negotiations," and pointing to what he characterized as Russian "lies."

Russia "talks about the talks but announces a military mobilization," Zelensky said.

"Russia wants war."

On Thursday, German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht said that Putin's "partial mobilization" only strengthens the country's support for Ukraine.