Are military conscription offices in Russia being torched by protesters?

Something strange is happening in Russia. Protest is banned, referring to 'a war' is punishable by up to 15 years in jail - but there are increasing signs of pushback. At least 12 military conscription offices appear to have been vandalised - some set on fire - since the start of the invasion of Ukraine. That’s according to the Ukrainian army, so we might take that with a pinch of salt. But there has been enough corroboration of this on Telegram (one of the few social media firms not blocked by the Kremlin) to take this seriously.

A look around Telegram shows buildings with varying degrees of damage, some having clearly been torched. We see offices broken and scorched doors and windows, while one video shows a firefighter inspecting the flooded interior of a recruitment office near Moscow. An independent news channel, Baza, has posted pictures from various places around Russia. 

Footage of one incident in Nizhnevartovsk, Siberia, has emerged - seemingly filmed by the perpetrators themselves. The video shows a man dressed in a grey hoodie lobbing at least six flaming bottles through the door and windows of the military office, the entrance of which swiftly goes up in flames.

Separately near Moscow, two 16-year-old boys were arrested in relation to one such incident, involving three Molotov cocktails thrown at a conscription office.

So is this a sign of serious resistance going on in Russia? The first stirrings of rebellion against Putin and his regime? The intention behind these acts is certainly clear in its symbolism. The use of conscripts in Ukraine has been deeply controversial: when it was uncovered, Putin demanded an investigation.

This is part of a series of reports from The Spectator about what’s being said in Russian-language press and social media.