Putin's Order for 300,000 Fighters Drives Russians to the Streets in Protest

(Bloomberg) -- President Vladimir Putin’s order to call up as many as 300,000 reservists to fight in Ukraine triggered alarm and demonstrations as Russians were forced to confront the reality of the deadly conflict. Most Read from BloombergPolice detained about 1,400 people at protests against the order in 38 cities Wednesday night, according to the OVD-Info monitoring group. For millions of Russians who’ve been largely shielded from the reality of the Kremlin’s bloody seven-month war, Putin’s speech early Wednesday announcing a “partial mobilization” came as a shock. There’s total panic and confusion.”The mobilization order will affect 300,000 people and apply only to those with military experience, according to Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. “As for how things will go in the future, we’ll see, as they say.”Sold OutMany Russians didn’t find comments like that reassuring.