Russians Leave Abroad Again, Citing Mobilisation Fears and Internet Curbs

A fresh wave of emigration is taking shape from Russia, driven by fears of a new mobilisation, sweeping internet restrictions and the economic fallout of the war in Ukraine. The numbers remain far below the mass exodus of 2022, when hundreds of thousands fled after a partial military call-up, but those assisting the departures say demand for help has risen sharply.

A 28-year-old digital content marketer from the southern city of Krasnodar is among those who have left. Speaking before crossing into Georgia, he said he was leaving behind his family, his elderly grandparents and his girlfriend, who is still completing her medical residency. He cited the political situation and difficulties with blocked online services as his reasons for going, adding that without them he would not have left for more than a few months. He spoke on condition of anonymity because of security concerns.

Now based in Tbilisi, he said internet restrictions were the main practical problem, since he can work from his phone in Georgia but finds it far harder in Russia. Rumours of mobilisation also frighten him, he said, even though his conscription category exempts him from peacetime service. He described himself as a pacifist and said the two factors together decided his move.

Unlike 2022, there are no long queues at border crossings or shortages of tickets to visa-free destinations such as Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan and Turkey. Still, a group that assists citizens fleeing abroad said it received nearly eight times more queries last month than in May.

Yan Slovizki, a human rights activist and emergency assistance coordinator for the Kovcheg NGO, described a panicked wave of emigration since mid-July, linked to mobilisation fears, the fuel crisis and internet disruptions. He said people are leaving well in advance this time because they saw what happened during previous waves, and warned that Armenia faces a looming migration crisis, if one is not already under way.

In Yerevan, real estate broker Levon Patvakanyan said he is seeing more buyers who have long lived comfortably in Russia but now want property as an investment and a fallback option, amid forecasts of another mobilisation. At a Kovcheg meeting in the Armenian capital, Russian immigrant Daniil Neonov said he left at the last minute after receiving an electronic summons to a draft board, and believes he would have been barred from leaving had he waited even a day or two. He said he is alone for now and is trying to build a community so he does not give up.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other officials in Kyiv have said Russia is planning another mobilisation after the State Duma election that concludes on Sunday, claims the Kremlin has repeatedly and vehemently rejected. Alen Simonyan, secretary of Armenia's Security Council, told an independent Russian TV channel last month that his country would not interfere and would help if necessary those moving to avoid being drafted, drawing a sharp rebuke from the Russian Foreign Ministry, which called the remark provocative. Russian lawmaker Viktor Sobolev told the RTVI channel that the country does not need people who leave because of rumours, adding: "Let them leave."

The current outflow is harder to measure than in 2022. Social media videos from across Russia show people announcing decisions to leave for conflict-related reasons, while others cite the declining economy, an uncertain future and shrinking freedoms. This summer's Ukrainian drone attacks inside Russia caused an unprecedented fuel crisis and dealt crippling blows to the e-commerce sector, and the government has cited the attacks since last year to justify harsh restrictions on internet access.