One-way tickets sold out
Do Russian men flee conscription?
09/21/2022 1:53 p.m
300,000 Russian reservists are called up for the war in Ukraine. As a result, the demand for one-way flights from Russia to visa-free countries is increasing dramatically. The freedom of travel of conscript reservists is already restricted by law.
According to Internet data, after the announcement of partial mobilization, the demand for one-way flights, i.e. trips without a return flight, is growing rapidly in Russia. Statistics from Google Trends show a spike in searches for Aviasales, the most popular Russian website for buying flights. Direct flights from Moscow to Istanbul and Yerevan in Armenia – both destinations that allow Russians visa-free entry – sold out on Wednesday, according to Aviasales.
Some routes with intermediate stops, including those from Moscow to Tbilisi, were also unavailable. The cheapest flights from the capital to Dubai cost more than 300,000 rubles (equivalent to just under 5,000 euros) – about five times the average Russian monthly wage.
According to The Insider, reports are circulating on social media that Russian Railways and Aeroflot are no longer selling tickets to men between the ages of 18 and 65. Both companies had previously assured that there were no restrictions on the sale of tickets. There is also no official instruction to only allow men with a corresponding certificate to travel. However, men at the land borders with Finland and Georgia will dem report reportedly denied exit. Women, on the other hand, were allowed to cross the border.
Duma deputy advises against Turkey trip
According to the law, however, Russians of military age must remain at their place of residence after the order for partial mobilization. “Citizens who are entered in the military register (as reservists) are prohibited from leaving their place of residence from the moment of mobilization without the permission of the military commissariats and the executive bodies responsible for reserves,” says the law “On Mobilization in Russia”.
According to the head of the Defense Committee in the Duma, Andrei Kartapolov, the restriction on freedom of travel primarily affects vacations abroad. “You can continue to go to Krasnodar or Omsk on a business trip, but I would not advise you to go to Turkish resorts – it’s better to relax in the resorts of Crimea and Krasnodar region,” said the deputy.
The Russian government has yet to announce who will be exempt from mobilization among reservists. The Office of the President in Moscow announced that this can be expected very soon. Spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on the possibility of border closures to prevent citizens from evading conscription.
Russian President Vladimir Putin had announced a “partial mobilization” of the armed forces, with 300,000 Russian reservists being called up. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said his country was “fighting not so much against Ukraine as against the West.” According to him, 5,937 soldiers have been killed in the fighting in Ukraine so far. But the number is likely to be much higher.