Why are Russian men fleeing the country?
Seven months into the Russia-Ukraine War, there is uncertainty and chaos in Vladimir Putin's country. Russian men are scrambling to leave the country after Putin ordered mobilisation of army reserves.
On February 24, 2022, when Russia invaded Ukraine, Ukrainian men were fleeing their country. Now, the tables have turned. Russian men are now fleeing their country in droves fearing being ordered to fight the war.
What's happening now? Russian President Vladimir Putin said that as many as 3,00,000 men could be called in to join the war. The order resulted in panic among men, who are trying all means possible to leave the country.
#Russian 🇷🇺men fleeing to #Georgia 🇬🇪to avoid dying in #Ukraine 🇺🇦! pic.twitter.com/bRAgrtRpY4
— Daniel Smith (@DanielS18352008) September 26, 2022
Military equipment is heading to the #Russian-#Georgian border checkpoint "Upper Lars".The #Russians plan to deploy a mobile mobilization point there for those fleeing the country.The people escaped from #MobilizationInRussia: over 260 thousand, according to Novaya Gazeta Europe pic.twitter.com/hjuMbCK6jR
— Feher_Junior (@Feher_Junior) September 27, 2022
#Breaking: Long Lines Russian-Georgian border.
— The HbK (@The5HbK) September 27, 2022
Hundreds of thousands of #Russian men are trying to save their lives by fleeing from mobilization.
It’s just a question of time before Russia closes the border - UKraine Media#Ukraine #Internationalleaks #Russia pic.twitter.com/U3CHP52l3i
Fight breaks out in the city of Omsk among men who’ve been drafted and local police forcing them onto buses. Draftees called on the police to come die with them in the trenches.
— Jake Cordell (@JakeCordell) September 24, 2022
📹 Omsk Civil Association pic.twitter.com/bms9YeYlMo
By land: There are long queues at Russian borders, stretching for 10 kilometres on a road leading to the southern border with Georgia. Apart from this, there are car queues so long at the border with Kazakhstan that some people have abandoned their vehicles to proceed on foot.
By air: Dozens of flights from Russia are booked to countries like Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Serbia; all countries that Russians do not require a visa to enter. Tickets for such flights are selling at exorbitant prices.
Reuters reported that some men are even waiting in queues for 12 hours, to avoid being pushed into a war they have no inclination to be part of.
Some people have also fled to Belarus, a close Russian ally. Belarus has ordered its security forces to find Russian men at airports and hotels and report them to Russian authorities.
Among those who managed to get out of the country was a 41-year-old person who reached Istanbul, Turkey, and had plans to start a new life in Israel, the AP reported.
This exodus is a clear indicator of the disapproval of Putin's new draft of the soon-to-be law which demands the mass mobilisation of middle-aged men into the forces.
What are others doing? The White House has described Putin's action as a sign of desperation, given that his invasion has now lasted seven months and the Ukrainian military has recently gained ground and momentum.
Germany, which also wants to assist the men escaping Russia, has scheduled a meeting with other EU members. All direct flights from Russia were previously prohibited by the EU. It also recently decided to restrict the distribution of Schengen visas, which permit unrestricted travel throughout much of Europe.
Putin’s announcement of a partial #mobilisation is an act of desperation. Russia cannot win this criminal war. Putin has underestimated the situation from the outset – including the will to resist of #Ukraine and the resolve shown by its friends.
— Bundeskanzler Olaf Scholz (@Bundeskanzler) September 21, 2022
Earlier this month, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi too met Vladimir Putin along the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, where PM Modi is said to have nudged Putin into ending the war in Ukraine.
Russia's attempts to allay fears among its men: In what looks like a momentary way to calm the public, Putin has said that only veterans with expertise or combat experience would be called up to join the war. However, the public seems to have very little faith in Putin's words.
Why? This comes from recent experiences in rural regions of Buryatia, where men were enlisted regardless of their military record or medical history.
BUT,
According to the Associated Press, Russian authorities have made an effort to curb concerns by:
- Highlighting the pay that draftees would receive
- Introducing a new law to reduce or stop loan payments they owe
- Assuring that the jobs they would leave behind would still be there when they returned.
However, it is yet to be seen if Putin's words are of any value in the coming days. Meanwhile, the men continue to leave Russia.