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When Vladimir Putin announced a partial mobilisation of Russian men in September last year, tens of thousands fled the country to escape the draft.

He said the mobilisation was necessary to defend Russia against the West. But many in the country protested, and there were chaotic scenes on Russia's borders as people escaped.

With rumours of more call-ups ahead of a spring offensive, two Russian men opposed to the war who avoided the draft describe the measures they have had to take to keep living in the country.

“If the second wave of conscription starts, I will try to escape," one of them tells Newshour.

(Photo: Russian conscripts pictured at a railway station in Sevastopol before leaving to serve in the war. Credit: EPA)