Photo Illustration by Thomas Levinson/The Daily Beast/GettyRussian President Vladimir Putin’s speech announcing partial mobilization has prompted heated reactions across Russia. Prominent lawmakers and pundits expressed their enthusiastic support on state television, but tangible concerns have been brewing behind the bluster. “It’s extremely important that our new military divisions that are being formed today receive necessary equipment and weapons,” he stressed. As luck would have it, the rich and the well-connected in Russia won’t have to risk their life and limb to serve the Motherland. In the hours preceding Putin's announcement, another State Duma member, Andrey Gurulyov, was brimming with excitement.
