Following Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to mobilize hundreds of thousands of reservists for the conflict in Ukraine, Russian men are fleeing into neighboring Georgia to avoid being called up to serve in a war they do not support.
Russian government data made public by state media claim that on September 25, with more than 3,000 vehicles lining up to cross the border, the projected wait to enter Georgia reached 48 hours.
“When we found out about the mobilisation, we dropped everything at home and jumped in the car,” Dmitry Kuriliyunok told Reuters in Tbilisi, the Georgian capital.
Dmitry, his wife Irina and young daughter first drove across southern Russia from Krasnodar to Mineralnye Vody in the North Caucasus, a staging post for many crossing into Georgia. There, they hired a local driver to take them through the border checkpoints and after 24 hours they arrived in Tbilisi.
“We are completely against this war. For us, like for others, it’s scary. To die and to kill others, and for what? We don’t understand. Therefore, we decided to flee,” he said.
The exact number of people who have left Russia since Putin announced what he called a “partial mobilisation” last Wednesday is unclear. But new video footage released Monday show a chaotic scene at the border.
Russians have also gone to Kazakhstan, Finland and Mongolia, which have all reported heavy queues. Russia has not closed its borders yet but reports indicated that Putin could order a border closure.
