Status: 09/27/2022 2:29 p.m
Less than a week after partial mobilization was ordered, well over 100,000 Russians left their country in all directions. Georgia reports traffic jams at its border. In Kazakhstan alone, 98,000 Russian citizens are said to have entered the country since the announcement.
Tens of thousands of Russians have left the country since the Russian military partially mobilized almost a week ago. Around 98,000 Russian citizens have entered Kazakhstan alone since September 21, according to the Interfax agency, the migration authority of the Kazakh Interior Ministry. More than 8,000 Russians received a personal identification number, which is a prerequisite for registering and opening bank accounts in the Central Asian country. Since the beginning of April, more than 93,000 Russian citizens have received identification numbers and more than 4,000 residence permits for Kazakhstan.
On Wednesday last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the partial mobilization of hundreds of thousands of reservists. The partial mobilization had sparked protests across the country and a rush of Russian men to neighboring countries. Most direct flights to countries with no visa requirements for Russians sold out quickly, and ticket prices skyrocketed.
Kazakhstan pledges protection
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev pledged protection to the Russians fleeing partial Russian mobilization to Kazakhstan. “In the past few days, many people from Russia have come to us. Most of them are forced to leave because of the hopeless situation,” Tokayev explained. “We have to take care of them, ensure their safety.” It is a “political and humanitarian issue,” he said. At the same time, Interior Minister Marat Akhmetdschanov emphasized that Russian conscientious objectors who are wanted must be extradited.
Normally an ally of Moscow, the Kazakh leader has kept his distance since the Russian offensive in Ukraine. Tokayev again condemned the conflict. “The territorial integrity of a state must be inalienable, that is a key principle,” he said. In four Ukrainian regions, Russia is currently holding so-called referendums on Russia’s annexation. “A large-scale war is taking place in our immediate vicinity. We must remember this and, above all, think about our security,” Tokayev continued.
Long traffic jam near the Russian border with Georgia: Regional authorities speak of 5,500 cars on Tuesday.
Image: via REUTERS
Traffic jams at the Georgian border
Thousands of Russians also tried to get to Georgia. According to the regional authorities, around 5,500 vehicles, including around 3,600 passenger cars, were jammed at the border south of Vladikavkaz on Tuesday. The Interior Ministry of the Russian republic of North Ossetia allowed people to cross the border on foot. At the same time, according to the Russian state news agency TASS, the authorities announced that a draft center for the war in Ukraine would soon be set up at the border.
“Four or five days ago, 5,000 to 6,000 Russians arrived in Georgia every day,” Georgian Interior Minister Vakhtang Gomelauri said in Tbilisi. In the meantime, this number has grown to “10,000 per day”. In the first four months of the Ukraine war, almost 50,000 Russians fled to Georgia, where they are allowed to stay for a year without a visa.
The mass arrival of Russians fleeing conscription into the army is causing mixed feelings in Georgia. Finally, memories of Russia’s invasion of Georgia in 2008 are still vivid. Russian soldiers have been stationed in two breakaway regions of Georgia since the five-day war.
Finland also reports significantly more arrivals from Russians
An onslaught of Russians had also been reported from the borders with Finland and Mongolia in the past few days. The Finnish border protection agency recorded a record for this year in arrivals from Russia over the weekend. “Last weekend was the busiest weekend of the year on the eastern border,” said Mert Sasioglu of the Finnish border guard. According to the authority on Monday, almost 8,600 Russians crossed the land border on Saturday, and 4,200 crossed the border in the other direction. More than 8,300 Russians arrived on Sunday, and almost 5,100 left the country. “The arrival rate is roughly double what it was a week ago,” Sasioglu said.