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Russians fleeing mobilisation reach closed borders
Summary
On 28 September 2022, border crossings from Russia to Georgia and Finland became pressure points as men sought to avoid the draft.
What happened at Russia's borders on 28 September 2022, as men of fighting age sought to leave the country after the military mobilisation ordered by Russian president Vladimir Putin?
Two crossings showed the strain. In North Ossetia–Alania, home to the only border crossing between Russia and Georgia-controlled territory, authorities banned all Russian cars that did not carry the republic's licence plate. Tourists travelling to the region were exempt. The measure came as people fleeing the draft overwhelmed the border.
On the Finland–Russia border, a mobile draft centre was built at the Torfyanovka checkpoint, the busiest on that frontier. Its purpose was to stop people fit to serve from leaving the country. As of midday on 28 September, the centre had not yet opened.
Neighbours respond
The pressure was felt on the other side of the frontier as well. On 27 September 2022, Latvia announced a state of emergency over the influx of Russian citizens fleeing mobilisation. Special measures were introduced in the country's border regions and at all ports of entry.
Kazakhstan said on 27 September that around 98,000 Russian civilians had entered the country by land and air since Putin ordered the mobilisation.
Dissent inside Russia
Not everyone chose to leave. On 26 September 2022, spontaneous protests against the mobilisation continued in Dagestan and Kabardino-Balkaria.
The same day, Russian oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin, a close ally of Putin, publicly admitted for the first time that he had founded the Wagner Group. The private military company has been accused of war crimes in places where it was deployed. Prigozhin had previously denied any involvement with it.
What the day showed
Taken together, the reports from 26 to 28 September 2022 describe a mobilisation that quickly produced movement towards several borders and responses on both sides of them: restrictions at Russian crossings, an emergency declaration in Latvia and large arrivals recorded in Kazakhstan.
