Putin on Wednesday ordered Russia’s first mobilization since World War II and backed a plan to annex parts of Ukraine, warning the West that he was not bluffing when he said he would be prepared to use nuclear weapons to defend Russia. read more Air fares from Moscow exceeded $5,000 for one-way tickets to the nearest overseas locations, with most airfares being sold out in the following days. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comSign up Social media groups popped up with tips on how to get out of Russia, while a Russian-language news site provided a list of “where to escape right now in Russia.” There were long queues at the border with Georgia. “The war is horrible,” Sergei, a Russian who declined to give his last name, told Reuters as he arrived in Belgrade, the Serbian capital. “It’s okay to be afraid of war and death and things like that.” A Russian man who gave his name as Alex told Reuters in Istanbul that he had left Russia in part because of the mobilization. “Partial mobilization is one of the reasons I’m here,” he said. “It seems like a very bad step and it could lead to a lot of problems for a lot of Russians.” He said he felt that not many Russians would want to be sent to fight. Another Russian, who gave his name only as Vasili, arrived in Istanbul with his wife, teenage daughter and six suitcases. “The mobilization was inevitable because there was a shortage of manpower. I am not worried because I am already 59 years old and my son lives abroad,” he said.
LARGER THAN USUAL DIMENSIONS
A truck driver who crossed the Russia-Kazakh border on Thursday near the Kazakh city of Oral told Reuters he saw unusually heavy traffic on the Russian side. He asked not to be named, fearing it could complicate his future travel. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday that reports of an exodus of military-age men were exaggerated. Asked about reports that men detained at anti-war demonstrations were given drafts, Peskov said it was not against the law. About 10,000 volunteers showed up to enlist in Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine without waiting for call-up papers issued as part of a partial mobilization, Russian news agencies reported, citing the Russian General Staff. A man smokes as he walks past a mural, which was painted on a high-rise building in support of the Russian military, in Moscow, Russia September 21, 2022. REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina Russian state pollsters say more than 70 percent of Russians support what the Kremlin calls a “special military operation,” although a leaked poll in July showed an even split between those who wanted to fight to stop or continue. The war in Ukraine has killed tens of thousands, unleashed an inflationary wave on the global economy and fueled a deeper confrontation with the West. A tourism industry source told Reuters there was desperation as people scrambled to find plane tickets out of Russia. “It’s 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,” the source said. Finland said on Thursday it was considering barring entry to most Russians as border traffic from its eastern neighbor increased on orders from Putin. read more Prime Minister Sanna Marin said the government is assessing the risks posed by people traveling through Finland and is looking at ways to drastically reduce Russian transit. Traffic reaching the border “intensified” overnight and remained elevated during daytime hours on Thursday, the Finnish Border Guard said.
BETTER THAN A FUNERAL
“The number has clearly increased,” the Finnish border guard’s head of international affairs, Matti Pitkaniitty, told Reuters, adding that the situation was under control. read more At 17:30 local time (1530 GMT) at Vaalimaa Pass, a three-hour drive from St Petersburg, Russia, traffic continued to flow, according to a Reuters witness, with cars stretching across four lanes, each for about 150 metres. . Russia’s Aeroflot said it would refund people who could not fly as planned because they had received a call. Russian police arrested more than 1,300 people in Russia on Wednesday in anti-mobilization protests, a rights group said. read more Despite the reported arrests, the anti-war protest movement Vesna (Spring) called for more demonstrations across Russia on Saturday. “For the protest to end with the fall of the regime, the number of protesters must increase. We need to get more and more people out and that’s why we need your help. Otherwise, nothing will work,” he said on his channel. on Telegram. “After all, getting a fine or a few days in jail is better than a funeral.” Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comSign up Additional reporting by Mehmet Emin Caliskan, Bulent Usta, David Gauthier-Villars in Istanbul, Olzhas Auyezov in Almaty, Writing by Caleb Davis and Guy Faulconbridge, Editing by Mark Heinrich, Frank Jack Daniel, William Maclean Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
