Area mobilization: Young Russians cause kilometers of traffic jams at borders

MMen of military age left the country on Friday. Their exodus filled planes in Russia and caused traffic jams at border crossings. They shared the goal of not being called up to fight in Ukraine as part of the Kremlin-announced regional demobilization.

According to Russian online mapping service Yandex, the ten-kilometer-long road leading to the country’s southern border with Georgia was lined with cars. At the border with Kazakhstan, the tin column was so long that some abandoned their vehicles and continued on foot — just as some Ukrainians did when Russia invaded their country on February 24.

Meanwhile, dozens of flights from Russia — with tickets sold at exorbitant prices — carried Russian men to international destinations such as Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Serbia, where Russians do not have visas. Among those who reached Turkey was a 41-year-old man who landed in Istanbul with a suitcase and bag and wanted to start a new life in Israel.

“I am against this war. And I will not be a part of it. I will not become a murderer. I don’t kill people,” said the man, who asked only to be known as Yevgeny for fear of reprisals against his family in Russia. He called Russian President Vladimir Putin a “war criminal”. Yevgeny decided to flee after Putin announced partial demobilization on Wednesday. The total number of reserves involved may be as high as 300,000.

Dangerous flight to Belarus

Some of his comrades also fled to neighboring Belarus, which is closely aligned with Russia. But it is not without risk. Nasha Niva, one of Belarus’ oldest independent newspapers, reported that the country’s security services had been instructed to find Russians in hotels and rented apartments and report them to Russian authorities.

The leadership in Moscow complained of “mania” in the country. At the same time, it excluded reservationists with certain occupations from compulsory recruitment. Chechen ruler Ramzan Kadyrov accused conscientious objectors of cowardice. “You know, you are nothing but a coward, a traitor and a second-class person,” he told conscientious objectors on his Telegram channel on Friday.

White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said the fact that Russians are fleeing their country to avoid conscription shows that the war in Ukraine is “unpopular.” “What Putin is doing – he is not acting from a position of strength,” Jean-Pierre said. Instead, Putin’s actions are a sign of weakness.

In Germany, there were calls to help Russian men who were avoiding military service. Government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit explained that the central government wants to reach a common position at the European level to deal with Russian conscientious objectors. Maximilian Kall, a spokesman for Interior Minister Nancy Fesser, said anyone who bravely opposes “Putin’s regime” and thereby puts themselves in grave danger can seek asylum in Germany due to political persecution. Anyone threatened with severe persecution can be granted refugee status in Germany, but each case is examined on a case-by-case basis.

The Federal Office for Migration and Refugees issued a similar statement: “People threatened by severe persecution usually receive international protection in Germany,” a representative of the agency told “RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland”. This also applies to Russia. “The decision-making process of the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees has already been adjusted accordingly.” The granting of asylum is a case-by-case decision, including a security check, it said.

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However, to do this, victims must first travel to Germany, and as in many other EU countries, traveling to Russia is not so easy. The European Union suspended direct flights between its 27 member states and Russia following the attack on Ukraine. A limited allocation of Schengen visas allowing free movement within the EU was also approved.

Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Poland – four of the five countries bordering Russia – recently decided to turn away Russian tourists. Some representatives of EU countries also see a potential security risk in fleeing the Russians. They believe that closing the borders will increase pressure on Putin in Russia.

“It is wrong to treat them as conscientious objectors.”

Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Ringevics said on Thursday that many of those who fled Russia agreed to kill Ukrainians. They would not have objected to it. “It is not correct to regard them as conscientious objectors.”

However, so far, Russians have been able to enter Finland, which shares a 1,340-kilometer border with Russia, on a Schengen visa. Finnish border guards reported a sharp rise in the number of people arriving from Russia on Friday. The media reported a 107 percent increase compared to the previous week.

According to the Finnish border guard, a line of cars about half a kilometer long formed in front of Valima, one of the busiest border crossings.

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Finnish broadcaster MTV aired interviews with Russian men who entered Finland through the Virolati border crossing. A man named Yuri from Moscow said that no sane person wants to go to war. Andrei Balakirov, a Russian from St. Petersburg, said he had been mentally ready to leave Russia for half a year, but put it off until mobilization.

“I think it’s a very bad thing,” he said. Valerie from Samara, who is on her way to Spain, agrees. He called the partial demobilization a “great tragedy.” “It’s hard to describe what’s going on. I feel sorry for those who are forced to fight against their will. I’ve heard stories of people getting these instructions on the street – it’s scary.”

Meanwhile, fake referendums organized by the Kremlin are taking place in four Ukrainian regions aimed at annexing the occupied territories to Russia. Kiev and the West condemned the elections as illegal under international law, with the outcome preordained by Moscow.