Holiday in Montenegro becomes an escape from call-up for Russians

Though officials called on Russians to mobilise in Ukraine, some are turning down the opportunity to go to war

When Alexander and his wife Svetlana arrived for a two-week vacation in Montenegro, they planned to return home to Russia.

But President Vladimir Putin's announcement last week ordering a mobilisation of reservists for the war in Ukraine has thrown their lives into disarray.

Speaking to Reuters in Montenegro's Adriatic town of Budva, Alexander, 30, a horticulturist, said he had no plans to go back and risk being drafted to go and fight.

"This is not our war. We are attacking our neighbours, brothers, we are trying to occupy territories that are not ours," he said. "I definitely will not fight for that, let alone die for it."

Both Alexander and his wife declined to give their full names.

Russian officials have said 300,000 troops are needed for the mobilisation, called as Russia's seven-month campaing in Ukraine has stalled. Priority will be given to people with recent military experience and vital skills.

But reports have appeared of men with no military experience, or past draft age, receiving call-up papers, fueling outrage and anti-war protests.