As a sign of how desperate the pro-Russian authorities are to strengthen the militant ranks, they announced in late March that the army’s maximum age had been raised from 55 to 65 in Donetsk, local media reported. And on Saturday, authorities announced a mobilization in the Kherson region, which was largely occupied by Russia after the start of the war. Spouses, sons and siblings live in basements or indoors. They can not stay in their homes because the registration is done by address. Instead, they live in the homes of friends or relatives where men of military age are not reported as residents. Some go out at night when patrols gathering reluctant recruits stop or are less frequent. “When I took my dog ​​for a walk at 23:00, I could see the silhouettes of men smoking behind the curtains, with a window open,” said a resident who spoke by telephone, who, like most in Donetsk, did not want to be named. with his name. Last map Every day their jobs are occupied by wives, sisters or girlfriends or they are just left uncovered. It is almost impossible to repair a car because most of the city’s engineers are men who would be covered by the sinking, locals said. “It usually takes 45 minutes to fix a problem with my tires and I drink coffee nearby,” said one woman. “But last time I was asked to leave my car and leave it at the weekend to get a man to fix it at night.” The electronics stores on the market, which were staffed by men, are now run by female relatives, who have asked ordinary owners to answer any questions. “You discuss all the technical details with him and then he will give you what you wanted and he will take your money,” said a man who escaped from the army due to his medical condition and foreign passport. The self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic, the so-called separatist region backed and recognized by Russia, announced its plan on February 19, just days before invading the rest of Ukraine. Exceptions must be signed by senior government officials, who themselves are one of the few groups to escape the draft. The order came out too early to try to prevent the men affected from fleeing, and those arrested include some visitors from the Ukrainian-controlled part of the country. Graphic “My son returned to our village to check on his grandmother two days before the army was announced. “Now he is stuck in the DNR and I am very worried,” said a man in western Ukraine, trying to raise money to fund an escape. “He is hidden and has not left the house for two months. “There are ways to smuggle it out, but only in Russia and it is very expensive and dangerous.” In interviews with locals, the Guardian heard only two men being allowed to stay in their jobs. One was an anesthesiologist, who was allowed to stay in his place when other doctors were ordered to join the army because he was one of two specialists left in the city. The other was a driver trained in the use of complex construction equipment. Bribes work, but the cost of avoiding troops is $ 800, an exorbitant amount for most people in an already impoverished area with an economy now crippled by war. Men who reach the top of the age group have grown beards in an effort to look older, although raising the ceiling to 65 means that gray hair alone offers little protection. Subscribe to the First Edition, our free daily newsletter – every day at 7 p.m. BST In an additional sign of despair, city officials twice tried to lure men out of hiding, claiming the plan was over. Documents allegedly leaked by the government about a new policy were leaked to the Telegram channels, but then men who came out of hiding because of them were confiscated and arrested. Locals now say they will not believe any more news about the cancellation of the draft. “Twice the authorities tried to fool us by publishing information that the project is over. “So the next morning men started going out and everyone was arrested,” said another resident. “Now everyone has learned the lesson, so if they announce that the draft is over, no one will believe them.”