Russia excludes some IT professionals, bankers and state journalists from mobilisation

Some Russian technology professionals, bankers, and journalists at state media outlets will not be called up to serve in Ukraine as part of Russia's mobilisation drive, the defence ministry said on Friday in a statement, Qazet.az reports citing Reuters.

The defence ministry said some employees working in critically important industries would be excluded from the draft in a bid to "ensure the work of specific high-tech industries, as well as Russia's financial system" is unaffected by Russia's first military mobilisation since World War Two.