Nearly a week after Russian President Vladimir Putin’s announcement of a partial military mobilization for the Russia-Ukraine war, many military-age men in Russia continue to attempt to flee the country in fear of possibly getting drafted in the near future.
Thousands upon thousands of Russians have clogged up the different land borders around Russia as more and more men of military age attempt to flee the country in order to avoid the draft, with traffic in these borders stretching for miles as many await a successful crossing, according to ABC News.
Kazakhstan’s officials claim that over 98,000 Russians have crossed their country since the Wednesday announcement, while the European Union said that 66,000 Russians have entered their territories, and Georgia said that over 100,000 has entered their country seeking to escape.
Though the Kremlin has not yet announced any border closures to keep the military-age men inside the country, mobile enlistment offices have been set up at some border crossings and men with military experience have been kept from being able to cross the border.
“We have just heard about a new strategy of moving some of the conscription [centers] to the border crossing areas, right where thousands of Russians are trying to flee and cross into other countries,” Mohamed Vall, a reporter from al-Jazeera, said. “One of those has already become operational and that’s in North Ossetia, on the border with Georgia. People who go there thinking they can escape are met with conscription officers.”
The Georgia border at Verkhny Lars reportedly has a 2,500-car line stretching back 12 miles, while a Kazakh border has a 20-mile line of traffic that appears to grow longer as many continue their attempts to escape.
“There's simply a hellish line -- it's endless. And moreover at all checkpoints,” a man from Tver near Moscow said.
Kazakhstan’s President, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, reassured the Russians fleeing the country that their safety will be ensured during their stay, even as the country’s interior secretary is looking into limiting the stay of Russians without passports to three months, al-Jazeera reported.
“A lot of people from Russia have come here over the last few days,” Tokayev said in a speech. “Most of them are forced to leave because of the hopeless situation. We must take care of them and ensure their safety.”
Meanwhile, former Pink Floyd frontman Roger Waters has come out with a public letter for Putin asking for the end of the war after his letters to the Ukrainian First Lady Olena Zelenska were believed to be one-sided by many, NME reported.
“Would you like to see an end to this war? If you were to reply and say, ‘Yes please.’ That would immediately make things a lot easier,” he said, before continuing: “We might as well all stop playing the desperately dangerous game of nuclear chicken that the hawks on both sides of the Atlantic seem so comfortable with, and have at it. Yup, just blow each other and the world to smithereens.”
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