ISW: Russians increasingly turning to social media to express their dissatisfaction with mobilization problems

Sixteen anti-war groups in Russia launched a petition demanding that Russian President Vladimir Putin demobilize all mobilized Russian men, the Institute for the Study of War said in its latest report on Nov. 15. The petition has already garnered almost 38,000 signatories as of Nov. 15. 

The experts indicate that frustrations over mobilization issues have reached the military blogger community that was already critical of the Russian Ministry of Defense and its decisions. "These grievances are increasingly influencing both the opposition and the pro-war communities, which is a new phenomenon," the ISW found. 

While Russian police have consistently suppressed small-scale protests throughout the country the Kremlin has yet to regulate platforms such as Telegram that allow Russians across the country to share their discontent and demand action from local officials.