“My SIM card doesn’t work here, and I have to jump from wifi to wifi. I’ll call you once at the apartment.” Let’s call him Alexei*, and simply specify that he comes from Novosibirsk, in Siberia. Like several thousand Russian citizens, this young man chose to leave his country to escape the mobilization decreed by Vladimir Putin. After a hasty farewell, Alexei has just arrived in Karaganda, Kazakhstan, on Friday 23 September. This is the first time he has set foot in this country, which borders Russia on nearly 7,000 km of border.
“Everyone in their family has a man who can potentially go to war.”
Alexei, a Russian citizen in exileat franceinfo
“No one thought that such a mobilization was possible, because it will cause great disorder in the country, which is very risky [pour Vladimir Poutine]“he believes, still sounded after the announcements of the Kremlin.
>> “I packed my bags and took the plane”: these Russians who leave their country to escape the war
“The official document, signed by our president, speaks of partial mobilization. But what does that mean? The government refers to people who served in the army, with a military specialty…” Alexei actually served in the army between 2012 and 2013, training as a driver and mechanic for several months. A profile highly sought after by recruiters. If the young man has not received a mobilization order, he nevertheless ticks all the boxes.
Discussions about a possible exile had started at the very beginning of the invasion of Ukraine, on February 24. “I had no children yet. With my wife, we had already considered leaving the country, but she was pregnant, and we decided to stay.” While understanding his desires to leave, his family had also warned him: “Remember that we are getting old, and we may never see each other again.” This time they didn’t ask any more questions. As obvious.
Alexei then joined Telegram groups where people post information about border crossings. These accounts are literally taken by storm. On Friday morning, nearly 100,000 people followed, for example, a group dedicated to the border with Georgia, with a third of simultaneous connections at all times. All subjects are discussed there: pets, fuel… “Can we cross the border on foot?” asks one of the participants. “No, but I went by bike”, responds another. On other groups, proposals are flourishing for transfers, against remuneration.
A cacophony that betrays the sense of urgency of the participants: to spin, quickly, before the jaws of the authorities close on the borders. “The most urgent thing was to get me to leave, as soon as possible”, testifies Alexei. On Wednesday, at 6:45 p.m., the young man therefore bought a ticket on the first bus to Kazakhstan, where Russians can go without a visa. In this bus, Alexei finds himself with 26 other passengers.
“More than half were men. No one was talking, everyone was silent.”
Alexei, a Russian citizen in exileat franceinfo
“The trip was very fast, I was surprised myselfhe continues. I didn’t know where I was going to end up, but I knew I would be safe.” Especially since the Russian language is spoken in Kazakhstan. Alexei has rented an apartment and is preparing to continue his journey to Tbilisi (Georgia) in the coming days.
“My wife is still in Russia and is applying to get the travel passport for our two-month-old child, so he can also leave the country.”
Alexei, a Russian citizen in exileat franceinfo
This case is far from isolated. The authorities of Kazakhstan estimate that the number of cars traveling from Russia to Kazakhstan has increased by 20% since the announcement of the partial mobilization. But it is especially at the border with Georgia that the queues reach unprecedented proportions, with traffic jams of several kilometers before the border post of Verkhnii Lars.
If he considers that his profile would have led him for sure to war, Alexei does not believe in a form of general mobilization in his country. “During the war in Chechnya, people were called up with only a few weeks of training”, he notes. But “I don’t think people without a military specialty or experience will be called up for this war”facing Ukrainians who “have been fighting for years”.
“If we have to – it’s not my opinion – fight against them, it really takes experienced people, not just guys like me or just ordinary citizens.”
Alexei, a Russian citizen in exileat franceinfo
Alexei is therefore relieved to escape the front, “one of the hottest moments since the beginning of the conflict”. But he also delivers a disillusioned reading of his country, from which he retains this constant: “Every time the Russians think something is impossible, it happens.”
Vladimir Putin’s decision, in fact, has just turned his life upside down. He opens this new chapter with two bags as luggage, and too bad for the rest, forgotten in Novosibirsk – “I do not care.” When asked if he is angry, and if he would have wanted to challenge the decree, he reacts first with a sad laugh. “There is no more room for anger in Russia”summarizes Alexei. “If you go outside to express it, you are arrested by the police, and even by the military, now. So it’s not the time to be angry, it’s time to leave.”
“There’s no way to change things. Some people say to go to the streets. We’ve done it many times, it doesn’t work.”
Alexei, a Russian citizen in exileat franceinfo
“Many foreigners do not understand what is really going on”complete Alexeï, to respond to the criticisms sometimes formulated against these exiles from the mobilization. “I just want people to be understanding with those who have become hostages to the political situation in Russia. We are young and the future will be ours anyway. We just need some time.”
*Name has been changed.