As if Russia’s invasion of Ukraine had not already presented quite enough dilemmas for other countries, suddenly there is another one. How sympathetic a reception should Russian men trying to avoid call-up in their home country be granted abroad, and specifically in the UK?
This quandary has arisen following Vladimir Putin’s announcement of what he called a ‘partial mobilisation’ of reservists to serve in Ukraine. The predictable response to the announcement, made at 9 o’clock Moscow time on Wednesday, was a surge of younger Russians trying to leave the country by any means and to any country where they had a chance of being let in.
Direct flights to a host of popular destinations for Russians – including Turkey, the Gulf States and Kazakhstan – were reported to have been booked out within hours, with ticket prices rising out of many people’s budget. There was also a rush to leave the country over land borders: Georgia, Armenia and Kazakhstan being countries of choice.
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