Border vehicles flock, ‘tickets’ for sold out flights
Russia’s general staff spread rumors regarding conscription of 1 million people
“Convocation of 120,000 people this fall,” including women
Vehicles line up at the Verkhni Lars border checkpoint on the Georgian border with Russia on the 21st (local time). RFE Yonhap News
Russian President Vladimir Putin has issued a partial mobilization order for 300,000 reservists in Russia, and thousands of people are flocking to the border to avoid it. Germany and the European Union said they might accept asylum applications from Russian deserters.
According to foreign media such as the BBC on the 22nd (local time), following President Putin issued a partial mobilization order on the 21st, the number of people fleeing the country to escape conscription is increasing in Russia. At the Verkhni Lars border checkpoint on the Georgian border with Russia, a 5-6 km long queue of vehicles was formed. When the traffic came to a standstill because of the rush of vehicles, some drivers eventually abandoned their cars and pulled themselves out to run.
Flights quickly ran out as more people wanted to escape abroad. In just a few hours following the declaration of the mobilization order, flights to neighboring countries such as Turkiye (Turkey) and Armenia where visa-free entry is possible were sold out. According to Euronews, flights to Belgrade, Serbia are currently trading on the black market for around 9,000 euros (regarding 12.4 million won). Considering the fact that it was traded at 850 euros just the day before, the price of a flying flag has jumped more than 10 times in one day.
Germany and the European Union (EU) have announced that they will accept asylum applications from deserters. Germany’s Interior Minister Nancy Pager said in an interview with the Allgemeinezon Taxzeitung (FAS) in Frankfurt, Germany that deserters “under the threat of severe repression, in principle, receive international protection in Germany.” “Anyone who is incarcerated can apply for asylum on grounds of political persecution,” he said. He added, however, that political asylum is not automatically granted, and that asylum applications are approved on a case-by-case basis following a safety check.
European Commission spokeswoman Anita Hipper told DPA that those who fled Russia following the mobilization order were declared have the right to seek asylum in the EU. “This is an unprecedented situation,” he said, adding that EU member states are looking for a joint approach to this.
Meanwhile, there are reports that the Russian authorities might recruit 1 million people in the future. Russia’s independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta reported that a classified document signed by Putin contained a partial mobilization order that allowed the mobilization of up to 1 million people. However, Kremlin spokeswoman Dmitry Peskov told the state-run Rianovosti news agency that “(the report) is a lie”.
Naval Admiral Vladimir Tzymlysky, head of the Mobilization Department of the Russian General Staff, explained that the Ministry of Defense plans to convene 120,000 men during the regular autumn conscription operation, TASS news agency reported. “Private and sergeant under the age of 35, junior officers under 50 and senior officers under 55 are eligible for mobilization,” he said. This suggests that women can also be conscripted.
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