Young men breaking limbs to dodge draft

Young Russian men are breaking their limbs and posting footage of the bone-shattering blows online as they seek to avoid going to war in Ukraine.

While some would-be draftdodgers flee Russia after President Vladimir Putin’s “partial mobilisations”, others are mutilating themselves to duck being forced to join the army.

Footage shared on social media shows a friend attempting to break the arm of a reservist with a sledgehammer.

In a dimly lit room, the topless draftee holds out his left arm over a bench.

The friend pulls a sledgehammer back over his head, slams it down on to the man’s arm, then covers his eyes and runs out of shot.

The victim stands with his arm hanging limp by his side.

Another video of apparent draft-dodging shows a man appearing to break his friend’s leg.

Kremlin officials have warned Russians against deliberately injuring themselves in order to avoid Putin’s mobilisation.

But the new trend highlights the desperation among Russians to avoid being sent as part of poorly equipped and trained units to join the President’s invasion forces.

Since Putin announced last week that he would call up 300,000 reservists, the same number of military-aged men have reportedly fled the country.