What happened in brief: 4 October

Over 200,000 people have been drafted into the Russian army during the “partial mobilisation” so far, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu stated, quoted by state news agency TASS. According to the defence chief, the mobilised will be will be sent to the combat zone after they complete “combat coordination” alongside units that have already taken part in the “special operation” in Ukraine.

Meanwhile, approximately 700,000 people are reported to have left Russia since mobilisation was announced, Forbes Russia reports, citing sources in the Kremlin. Another Forbes source suggests that nearly a million people have left Russia already. In particular, about 200,000 Russians have entered Kazakhstan since 21 September, local authorities point out.

Governor of Russia’s Pskov region Mikhail Vedernikov commented on the queues of Ukrainian refugees on the borders with Latvia and Estonia. “For obvious reasons, they all undergo the corresponding checks. Our neighbours are in no hurry to let them through either,” Vedernikov said.

Another Russian draftee dead under unclear circumstances: Dmitry, a mobilised resident of Krasnoyarsk, died at a military unit in Omsk, local news outlets report. A close friend of Dmitry who was mobilised at the same time as him said that prior to his death, they had received threats due to a conflict with other drafted men.

Adam Muradov, a resident of Russia’s Chechnya who was previously forced to beat up his wife for attending an anti-mobilisation protest, has died from a heart attack. His son Valid, 18, who was drafted into the army earlier, was allowed to attend the funeral.