After Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the country’s first mobilisation since World War II, several young men were reported crossing the international border in order to avoid conscription call and leave their homeland, news agency Reuters reported.
“Traffic into Finland over its border with Russia was heavy on Friday. But the Finnish government, wary of becoming a major transit nation, plans to stop all Russians from entering on tourist visas within the coming days, Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto told a news conference in New York,” as per the report.
The Kremlin's decision to announce a partial mobilisation has prompted a rush of men of military age to flee the country, potentially triggering a new, possibly unprecedented brain drain in the coming days and weeks, The Guardian reports.
The Guardian also spoke with a number of men and women who have left Russia since Putin announced the so-called partial mobilisation, or who intend to do so in the coming days. They claim that their options for fleeing are limited. Four of the five EU countries bordering Russia announced earlier this week that Russians would no longer be allowed to enter on tourist visas.
The First Russian Conscription Call Since WWII – Putin States A Partial Mobilisation
Russia's defence ministry announced a slew of occupations that will be exempt from President Vladimir Putin's conscription call, which is aimed at bolstering the country's war effort in Ukraine. IT workers, bankers, and state media journalists will be exempt from the partial mobilisation, which is expected to call up around 300,000 Russians, according to Al-Jazeera.
Russians are terrified after Vladimir Putin called for partial mobilisation of the country's 2 million-strong military reserves "to defend the motherland, its sovereignty, and territorial integrity."
"We are talking about partial mobilisation," Putin explained. "That is, only citizens who are currently in the reserve will be subject to conscription, and above all, those who served in the armed forces have a specific military specialty and relevant experience."
According to the Russian defence ministry, employers must compile a list of workers who meet the criteria and submit it to the country's enlistment offices. The exclusions were made to "ensure the continued operation of specific high-tech industries as well as Russia's financial system," the ministry said.
(With Inputs From Agencies)