Some Russians, much to the annoyance of Putin himself and the security forces, now prefer to go abroad rather than fight in Ukraine. In a country with about 25 million reservists, Vladimir Putin on Wednesday announced a partial draft of about 300,000 people. However, within a few hours, thousands of conscripts and their families embarked on a hasty exit from the country, apparently in an attempt to “escape” not from the Ukrainians or the “evil” West, but from the decisions of the Kremlin. myself. And while some were leaving, others took to the streets of dozens of Russian cities, shouting slogans against war and conscription.

At the same time, several thousand kilometers to the south, many Iranian women now choose to risk arrest, imprisonment or beatings rather than wearing their headscarves tightly, much to the dismay of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei himself, the Basij militias and the guards. , Revolution.

Since last Saturday, the Islamic Republic of Iran has faced a new wave of protests, which meanwhile have spread and acquired “global” proportions. Reason: death of a 22-year-old teenager. Mahsa Aminia woman of Kurdish descent who made the “mistake” of wearing the Islamic headscarf too loosely and was therefore brought to Tehran on September 13, but before she drew her last breath at the hands of the Iranian vice police just 24 hours later under circumstances that still… under investigation.

In connection with this incident, Iranian men and women took to the streets. After all, 22-year-old Amini was not the first to die at the hands of the authorities. Unfortunately, in recent years they have been preceded by other women such as For example Neda Agha Soltan in 2009, who also became a symbol of resistance. Important note: Among the women protesting in Iran, there are also many who dare to speak out against what they consider to be abuses, still wearing headscarves.

It is also recalled that in recent years Tehran has experienced other internal waves of popular discontent and tension, which, of course, were suppressed: in 2009 (in connection with the controversial re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to the presidency), in the period 2019-2020. (due to rising fuel prices), in the period 2021-2022. (due to lack of water and power outages), etc.

Turkey: voting for the first time in 2023

Farther west, in Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s increasingly authoritarian Turkey, the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) is facing internal obstacles that are mounting on its way to dual elections in 2023 and internal pockets of resistance that will not budge despite pressure.

The pro-Kurdish HDP, despite the “war” it has received from the Turkish state apparatus in recent years with the expulsion and imprisonment of democratically elected officials (see Demirtas, Yuksekdag, etc.), remains “alive” in opinion polls . more than 10% of the intention to vote. Erdogan’s AKP reminds that it is going to the polls after having already lost its mayoral seats in Ankara and Istanbul in 2019.

Of the approximately 64 million registered voters in Turkey, 13 million are under the age of 24, and seven million of them will be called to vote for the first time in 2023 (according to the International Republican Institute – IRI).

Erdogan himself in the recent past, in particular in November last year, said that youth voting will be a “key factor” in the upcoming elections in 2023. However, the AKP’s rating is lower among young voters (aged 18 to 24). ) than the total number of voters according to last year’s polls (Metropol, MAK), at the same time, young people (who have never met a leader other than Erdogan) in their majority state that they are pessimistic about the future of Turkey (according to Konrad- Adenauer-Stiftung “Turkish Youth 2021”).

China: they react… lying down

But even farther away, in the Chinese Far East, many young people no longer want to spend or work, thereby refusing to follow the Chinese leadership on (by increasing domestic consumption) the path of the “great renewal” that it promotes in view of the 1920s.^you Congress of the Communist Party.

“The so-called ‘lie down’ or ‘stay low’ (Tang ping) movement is causing headaches for the Chinese leadership, who are now seeing many young people turning their backs on it… switching sides. “Oligarchy is the new fashion among young Chinese at a time when the economy is faltering,” we wrote a few days ago in K, citing relevant reports from Reuters and Unherd.

However, as in Russia and Turkey, as in China, many citizens show a tendency to flee. “Immediately after the end of the three-month quarantine in Shanghai […] about 600,000 people have applied for immigration”, while youth unemployment is now officially “approaching” 20%, and while more and more young Chinese are now publicly abandoning the “996” system ( work from 9 am to 9 pm, 6 days a week), which have been adopted and promoted by many enterprises in China in recent years.