Some men flee Russia, fearing they could be called up to fight.
Since the announcement of a new troop mobilization, civilians have realized they could not count on staying out of their country’s invasion of Ukraine.
Ben Hubbard and
ISTANBUL — Since President Vladimir V. Putin’s announcement on Wednesday of a new troop call-up, Russian men who had previously thought they were safe from being forced to the front lines have realized they could not count on staying out of their country’s invasion of Ukraine.
Some have left the country in a rush, paying rising prices to catch flights to countries such as Armenia, Georgia, Montenegro and Turkey that allow them to enter without visas.
Mr. Putin officially called up only reservists, and only up to 300,000 of them, saying that only men with military experience would receive orders to report for duty. But many Russians worried that the government would impose new travel restrictions on conscription-aged men and wanted to make a quick escape just in case.
Turkey already was among the countries that received a large exodus of Russians at the beginning of the Ukraine invasion. Many were fleeing the crackdown at home, including the criminalization of dissent, with speaking out against the invasion or even calling it a war now carrying serious penalties. Others worried about the impact of international sanctions and Russia’s growing isolation on the economy and their jobs.
Now, a new wave may be beginning, and while the exact scope of it was not immediately clear, the rush for plane tickets and the long lines of cars at the borders were indications that the prospects of an expanded conscription have alarmed a swath of Russian society.
Ben Hubbard is the Istanbul bureau chief. He has spent more than a dozen years in the Arab world, including Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Yemen. He is the author of “MBS: The Rise to Power of Mohammed bin Salman.” More about Ben Hubbard
Ivan Nechepurenko has been a Times reporter since 2015, covering politics, economics, sports and culture in Russia and the former Soviet republics. He was raised in St. Petersburg, Russia, and in Piatykhatky, Ukraine. More about Ivan Nechepurenko
Our Coverage of the War in Ukraine
News and Analysis
Ahead of the U.S. elections, Russia is intensifying efforts to elevate candidates who oppose aid for Ukraine and support isolationism, disinformation experts say.
A large-scale Russian missile and drone attack damaged power plants and caused blackouts for more than a million Ukrainians in what Ukrainian officials said was one of the war’s largest assaults on energy infrastructure.
Russian missiles streaked into Kyiv in the biggest assault on the Ukrainian capital in weeks, injuring several people and damaging several buildings.
Read More
Symbolism or Strategy?: Ukrainians say that defending places with little strategic value is worth the cost in casualties and weapons, because the attacking Russians pay an even higher price. American officials aren’t so sure.
Elaborate Tales: As the Ukraine war grinds on, the Kremlin has created increasingly complex fabrications online to discredit Ukraine’s leader, Volodymyr Zelensky, and undermine the country’s support in the West.
Targeting Russia’s Oil Industry: With its army short of ammunition and troops to break the deadlock on the battlefield, Kyiv has increasingly taken the fight beyond the Ukrainian border, attacking oil infrastructure deep in Russian territory.
How We Verify Our Reporting
Our team of visual journalists analyzes satellite images, photographs, videos and radio transmissions to independently confirm troop movements and other details.
We monitor and authenticate reports on social media, corroborating these with eyewitness accounts and interviews. Read more about our reporting efforts.
Advertisement