Tens of thousands of Russians have fled the country to Mongolia, Georgia and Kazakhstan as military-age men flea Russian President Vladimir Putin’s mobilization order.
Putin ordered a partial mobilization earlier this month, drafting up 300,000 reserve troops. The move has led to widespread fear of general conscription amid the country’s invasion of Ukraine.
Mongolia, Georgia and Kazakhstan have borne the brunt of the migration wave, with Georgia stating that daily border crossings have nearly doubled in less than a week.
“About four to five days ago, there were five to six thousand visitors [from Russia] daily, and now it has increased to about ten thousand,” Georgia Interior Minister Vakhtang Gomelauri told reporters Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Russians fleeing to Mongolia have had to wait in lines more than a dozen hours long to be processed. The majority of those leaving were men, with some leaving behind their families.
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“My country has started partial mobilization and I think it is negatively affecting society,” one Russian man who fled to Mongolia told Reuters. “We waited a very long time at the Russian side of the border: about 16 hours.”
“There were a lot of young people, a lot of people trying to get away from Putin,” another man, Aleksey, told the outlet. Aleksey says he left behind his wife and two children and plans to return when the draft has passed.
“We are not afraid, but why do we have to fight in Ukraine, why?” he told Reuters. “If other countries would attack Russia, we would fight for our country. But why are we going to Ukraine? For what?”
Putin ordered the military mobilization on September 21, and since then, nearly 100,000 Russians have fled to Kazakhstan alone. The country is among the most convenient for Russians to flee to, as the Russian language is widely spoken there, and there is no need for a passport to travel across the border.
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has refused to support Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and he vowed to care for those fleeing the country.
“A lot of people from Russia have come here over the last few days. Most of them were forced to leave by the desperate situation,” he said in a Tuesday speech, according to Reuters. “We must take care of them and ensure their safety. This is a political and humanitarian matter.”
