There has been a sharp incline in flights and searches for flights out of Moscow following Russian president Vladimir Putin’s announcement of “partial mobilisation”.
Putin made the announcement, which implies an escalation of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, on 21 September.
Putin said in a speech that he would use ‘all means at our disposal’. This could see citizens in the military reserve and those with military experience become subject to conscription as he attempts to mobilise 300 000 citizens for the war effort.
More than 1 000 Russians were arrested following the announcement – some immediately drafted into the military – and an estimated 261 000 males have fled the country, The Conversation reported.
Travel agency websites in Russia demonstrated a massive increase in flight demands to destinations where Russians are not required to have a visa. The phrase “leaving Russia” saw a spike in google searches following the announcement, CNN reported.
Tickets out of Moscow to Istanbul rose from 350 US dollars to 2 715 US dollars on Friday, and 4 824 Russians arrived at Finland’s eastern border on Wednesday evening following Putin’s announcement that morning.
Picture: Unsplash
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