Vladimir Putin launched a new campaign of mobilization on Wednesday about the seven-month war in Ukraine that has already decimated cities, killed thousands and displaced millions – as well as damaged the global economy. While surveys in Russia have suggested widespread domestic support for Moscow’s “special military operation” — in part due to extensive government propaganda — the threat of mass conscription has sent residents fleeing and protesting across the country. Last war in Ukraine: Putin is ‘deep in trouble’ after nuclear ‘bluff’ Prices for some flights from Moscow exceeded $5,000 (£4,443) for one-way flights to the nearest overseas locations, with most sold out in the coming days. “This is panic demand from people who fear they won’t be able to leave the country later – people are buying tickets regardless of where they’re flying,” said a travel industry source. Traffic has also increased at the border crossings with Finland and Georgia. The Finnish government is considering ways to drastically reduce Russian tourism and transit through Finland, Prime Minister Sanna Marin said at a press conference on Thursday. Finnish land borders have remained among the few entry points into Europe for Russians, after a number of Western countries closed both their land borders and airspace to Russian planes. Finland has chosen to keep its border with Russia open following Moscow’s February 24 invasion, although it has reduced the number of consular appointments available to Russian travelers seeking visas. Image: Google flight data showing the price of a flight from Moscow to European destinations on Saturday 24 September 2022 Border traffic “intensified” during the night At the Vaalimaa border crossing, about a three-hour drive from Russia’s second-largest city of St. Petersburg, three lanes of cars stretched for 300-400 meters (yards) at about 1:15 p.m. local time (1015 GMT), a border official. he told Reuters. “Traffic at the Finnish-Russian border intensified overnight,” the border guard’s head of international affairs, Matti Pitkaniti, tweeted. He told Reuters that border guards were ready at nine checkpoints. Although traffic from Russia was busier than normal, border guards said in a statement that it had not changed “worryingly” in recent days compared to the pre-pandemic period. Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, the other EU countries bordering Russian territory, began turning Russian citizens away from crossings at midnight on Monday, saying they should not travel while their country is in war with Ukraine. The three Baltic states will not offer refuge to any Russian fleeing Moscow’s troop mobilization, their ministers said on Wednesday. More than 1,300 people were arrested on Wednesday as anti-war protests hit 38 Russian cities. Some of those arrested had been ordered to report to conscription offices on Thursday, the first full day of recruitment, independent news agencies reported. More rallies are planned for the weekend. “Now, because of the mobilization, for most Russian citizens, Russia’s war against Ukraine is not something on TV or on the Internet, but something that has entered every Russian home,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video clip on Thursday night. But Russia said reports of a mass exodus were exaggerated, and state news agencies reported on Thursday that 10,000 people had volunteered to fight even before their invitation documents arrived, citing the Russian General Staff. Image: Photo: AP Ukraine’s annexation plans – and the nuclear threat On Wednesday, Putin announced substantive plans to annex four Ukrainian provinces, with referendums to begin on Friday, and threatened to use nuclear weapons if necessary. The votes were widely condemned by the international community as “fake referendums”, with NATO calling them “illegitimate and illegitimate”. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the Security Council that talk of a nuclear conflict was “totally unacceptable” and said any move to annex territory would violate international law. “The very international order that we have gathered here to support is being torn apart before our eyes,” US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken told the UN Security Council. “We can’t let President Putin get away with it.” Click to subscribe to Ukraine War Diaries wherever you get your podcasts But in his speech, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused Kyiv of “brazenly trampling” on the rights of Russians and Russian-speakers in Ukraine. He later walked out of a UN meeting as allies criticized Russia for the war.
