Exodus of Russian men | ” I was terrified “

Since he heard Vladimir Putin announce the mobilization of 300,000 men in Russia last Wednesday, Semyon had only one objective: to leave.

Nicolas Berube
The Press

The 38-year-old man got rid of his car the same day, giving it up for half its value. He then bought himself one of the last available tickets to leave the country, for which he paid 150,000 rubles, the equivalent of more than $3,500.

At the airport, her heart skipped a beat when officers took all of the men’s passports. “They asked me why I wanted to leave, if I had been in the army, why I hadn’t been in the army. I was terrified. »

After 15 minutes they called his name and told him he could pass.

“I never thought I would have to leave Russia so quickly,” says Semyon, in an interview with The Press from Istanbul, Turkey. He asks that his surname be withheld for fear of repercussions against his relatives who remained in Russia.

Semyon says his wife is due to join him in a few days, and the couple had to give up their cat. “I don’t know what we’ll do, I don’t have a plan,” he said.

At least 200,000 people have left Russia since the announcement of the partial mobilization of 300,000 men announced last Wednesday by Vladimir Putin, reported the New York Times.

In some hotspots, such as the border with Georgia, some 10,000 Russians cross the border a day, according to Reuters. Georgia now asks people to cross the border on foot.

Russian security services said they were at the border to make sure conscripted men weren’t trying to flee. In order to limit departures, the Russian government announced on Wednesday that it would no longer issue passports to those who are mobilized by the army.

In airports, departures to countries accepting Russian nationals sell for exorbitant prices.

Konstantin, the 46-year-old Russian behind YouTube channel Inside Russia, live-told his journey to his 169,000 subscribers on Tuesday.

The 46-year-old man, director in a large company and father of five children, explained that he bought one of the last tickets for Uzbekistan for an amount equivalent to US$5,000.

If he hadn’t had thousands of dollars at his disposal, he would never have been able to save his life, he commented, adding that his family was safe in Russia, and that he now had to redo his life.

” I go back to zero. At 46, it’s stressful. »

A reservoir of 25 million people

Yakov M. Rabkin, professor emeritus in the history department of the University of Montreal, notes that the partial mobilization in Russia marks a shift from the “special operation” launched by Putin in February 2022.

“That said, the total mobilization pool in Russia is 25 million people. So even if there are 250,000 people who left Russia, it is important, but not so important. It’s 1%. »

Mr. Rabkin notes that the Russians who can afford to leave are those with money and resources. “And so there will probably be fewer men mobilized in the big cities, but more in the rural areas. »

In the Russian media, one of the opinions conveyed is that since the end of the cold war, the West has lost the feeling of fear towards Russia, says Yakov M. Rabkin.

“I heard two comments from two different people who said that what is missing from government circles in Washington is the fear of nuclear conflict. I believe that there is a feeling of impunity that has been so widespread in the United States for 30 years that we have lost awareness of the danger, not for Ukraine, for the United States. »

In an interview, Ivan Sisoev, a young Russian who left Russia during the invasion of Ukraine last February, said he was afraid for his friends who were unable to leave the country.

“This mobilization is a tragedy. It never ends: our grandfathers rotted in the gulag, our fathers burned in a tank near Kabul, and now we are thrown into a cruel and useless war that has not even been declared”, says the one who is located in Georgia.

As for Semyon, who landed in Turkey, he is looking for ways to apply for political asylum. He would like one day to be able to return to Russia.

“But it will probably still be a long time, because Putin’s propaganda is not about to end,” he said.

With the collaboration of Agence France-Presse