Isn’t there a draft? Why weren’t the missing able bodied men a big enough sign? Like, I get that she’s a woman, but surely she has a father, uncles, brothers, cousins, friends, or romantic partners who have either disappeared or come back broken, no?

Or is it easy for cosmopolitan Russians to get exempted from the draft?

Edit: It’s hard to find sources, but this makes it seem like it’s not easy in metropolitan areas, but it’s way, way more difficult in rural areas.