As the fear of a possible mobilization becomes a fixture of daily life across Russia, many men are deciding whether to flee, hide or sit tight.
Page A2From§Eachthe matinee edition — 5 September 2026
Kremlin declares Ukraine talks a 'deep pause,' revives them the day U.S. envoys land in Moscow
“They tell you the talks are back on, but the Kremlin called them dead nine days ago — that's not diplomacy, that's a press release with a pause button. And notice who isn't buying the "no draft" line: not the pundits, the actual Russian guys quietly grabbing exit paperwork, because when the man with the army says "relax," that's exactly when you check the exits.”
“Look, the president's team is on the ground, Putin's given a 72-hour window, that's a diplomatic win, full stop — the process is moving. Was it moving nine days ago? Well, "deep pause" is diplomatic language for "moving," everybody in this town knows that. And on the draft — Putin himself said no mobilization, he said it directly, on the record, so any Russian man booking a flight right now is just, that's just personal travel planning, that's not a data point, I don't know why I brought it up.”
The receipts
Two U.S. envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, arrived in Moscow on Saturday as part of an effort to restart negotiations between Russia and Ukraine after a monthslong stall. Russian leader Vladimir Putin authorized a 72-hour pause on strikes against Kyiv to facilitate the U.S.
Steve Witkoff, President Trump’s special envoy, and Jared Kushner, his son-in-law, arrived in Moscow to meet with the Russian leader. They head to Kyiv next, in an effort to revive peace talks.
U.S. envoys are trying to revive a stalled push to end Russia's invasion.
Presidents Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy agreed to pause strikes on each other's capitals while U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner hold talks to revive peace efforts.
Putin announced a three-day cease-fire in his war on Ukraine, just as Jared Kushner and US envoy Steve Witkoff touched down in Moscow for peace talks Saturday.
President Vladimir Putin has ordered a three-day pause in Russian strikes on Kyiv as U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrive in Moscow for talks aimed at reviving efforts to end the war in Ukraine, according to state media. “Putin has ordered that no strikes be carried out against Kyiv for three days, starting […]
Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have landed in Moscow for peace talks before heading to Kyiv, as Trump says there may be a good chance for a deal.
· C.I.A. Chief Delivered Bleak Assessment of Russia’s War in Secretive Moscow Visit from the morgue, 28 Aug 2026
· Kremlin says Ukraine peace talks on ‘deep pause’ from the morgue, 29 Aug 2026
· Ukraine launches drone attacks on multiple Oblasts of Russia, including Moscow, prompting all flights to be suspended at Vnukovo International Airport and Moscow Domodedovo Airport. Bryansk Governor A from the morgue, 10 Sep 2024
· The U.S. president's special envoy Steve Witkoff meets with Russian president Vladimir Putin to discuss settlement options for the Russo-Ukrainian war and a potential meeting between Donald Trump and from the morgue, 11 Apr 2025
· Putin swears there won’t be mass mobilization, accuses Ukraine of ‘state terrorism’ from the morgue, 2 Sep 2026
This page is a back-issue: the story as it ran, receipts as they were. The current edition is at the front.