After the partial mobilization announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin last week, the flight of Russian men, who do not want to fight on the fronts in Ukraine, continues. Russian men and their families lined up at the borders of Georgia, Kazakhstan, Finland and Mongolia. Rich Russians, on the other hand, preferred private flights to Turkey, Armenia and Azerbaijan, which do not require visas. It turned out that the Russians paid about 27 thousand dollars for a seat in private jets.
Military-aged Russians and their families formed a large concentration on the borders of Finland, Georgia, Kazakhstan, and Mongolia. The newspaper Novaya Gazeta Europe reported that 261,000 people have left Russia since the partial mobilization was announced.
Photos released by international agencies show Russians setting up tents along the highway leading to the Vishnyovka border post, while less well-equipped ones sleep on asphalt and make makeshift beds in their own clothes.
KAZAKHSTAN WILL NOT RETURN THE RUSSIANS
However, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Kazakhstan announced last week that 98 thousand Russians entered the country. The ministry announced that it would not send back Russians who entered the country to escape mobilization. While Russians can stay in Kazakhstan without a visa for up to 90 days, Kazakhstan President Kasım Cömert Tokayev stressed that newcomers should be treated well.
On the other hand, less wealthy Russians are concentrated on the borders of Georgia, Finland and Kazakhstan, while wealthier Russians are looking for other ways to escape.
$27K FOR A SEAT IN A PRIVATE JET
Some Russians are paying up to $27,000 to flee the country by private jet, after Putin announced last week that his country had partially mobilized its reserves, The Guardian reported.
According to the news, companies offering private jet flights reported a sharp increase in one-way flight requests from Russia. Russians currently pay between $21,500 and $27,000 for a seat on a private plane.
Yevgeny Bikov, director of private flight company Your Charter, told the newspaper that prior to mobilization, they had received about 50 requests a day from Russia, but that number has now risen to 5,000 a day.