The three planes from Russia that landed in Belgrade on the night of 22-23 September, carried mostly passengers who claim to have bought their tickets weeks in advance, but also a few young people who booked their seats the day when Putin announced the partial mobilisation in Russia due to the war in Ukraine.
The wave of the Russian emigration, ongoing since February and the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine, gained new momentum when Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the first mobilisation since World War II on 21 September.
Although the Russian Ministry of Defence claims that 10,000 volunteers came forward on the first day, there were also those who left the country because they did not want to take part in the war. Some of the Russians arrived in Belgrade, which since February, together with Istanbul, has had continuous flights between Russia and Europe. “I was in a panic when the mobilisation was announced, I realised I had to do something,” says Kirill (28) from Moscow.
In a short time, he travelled 700 kilometres from his hometown to St. Petersburg just to board the only flight for which he managed to buy a ticket. After the news of a partial mobilization broke out, flights from Russia to various countries were quickly sold out. Air Serbia, which flies to three Russian cities – Moscow, St. Petersburg and Kazan – announced that most flights in September had been sold out ‘a long time ago’.
Besides Serbia, countries that don’t require visas for Russian citizens include Turkey, Georgia and Armenia. On the first day of the partial mobilisation, there was speculation about whether reservists would be able to leave Russia.
Kirill says he was worried about whether he would be able to leave the country, but instead, the checks at the border crossing went smoothly. “At passport control, they asked me a few general questions, which category of reservists I belonged to and let me go,” he says. “Basically, I was more panicked about not encountering any problems.” He adds that buying the ticket on the day the mobilisation was announced also contributed to the panic. “My wife, who is already in Serbia, has managed to buy the ticket thanks to her contacts,” Kirill says.
Sergei from Moscow was also very lucky to buy a ticket to Belgrade at short notice. “I bought it last night, almost by chance, and I think that getting to Serbia on a direct flight is equivalent to a miracle,” said the 28-year-old IT expert.
There are plenty of Russians who were not able to get plane tickets and they have been heading for Russia’s border crossings. Social media videos show lines of vehicles forming at the Russian-Georgian border on 22 September, which allegedly include Russian government officials trying to leave the country.
The Kremlin claims that reports on the number of men of military age trying to leave the country are exaggerated. Explaining the approval of the decree on partial mobilisation, the Russian Defence Minister said the decree covers about 300,000 reservists.
(BBC Serbia, Naslovi.net, 23.09.2022)