Over 100,000 Russians flee to Georgia amid conscription fears
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Russians are worried about a new round of mobilization this fall and have already begun leaving for Georgia (Photo: HUR)
Amid rumors of a new conscription wave following Russia's State Duma elections in September, Russians have begun leaving the country preemptively, The Moscow Times reported on Aug. 28.
The outlet noted a key difference between 2026 and 2022: in 2022, Russians only began fleeing the country after dictator Vladimir Putin formally announced conscription, whereas this time many are leaving in advance of any official announcement.
The Moscow Times cited data from Russia's Federal Customs Service showing that more than 19,000 people crossed daily into Georgia through the Verkhny Lars checkpoint on Aug. 15 and 16, with the number exceeding 20,000 on Aug. 18. In total, Politico reported on Aug. 28 that approximately 113,000 Russians crossed the border into Georgia over the past week.
The human rights organization School of the Conscript said it has seen a rise in requests for help from men of conscription age. According to the group's director, Alexey Tabalov, most of those seeking assistance are reservists. He said that in recent months, authorities have been actively collecting reservists' personal data through their employers and even tracking down their relatives' addresses — ostensibly to make it easier to locate men who attempt to dodge service.
Russian reservists are currently being summoned to military enlistment offices and issued orders specifying which military unit they must report to if called up for service.
Tabalov said this is laying the groundwork for a covert form of conscription, even if conscription is never officially declared.
"It's enough to send, say, 10 buses to a particular metallurgical plant and pick up a predetermined number of specific people straight from their workplaces," Tabalov stated.
As for the total number of reservists, Russia's then-defense minister Sergei Shoigu cited a figure of 25 million in 2022.
On Aug. 2, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing informed sources, that Russian authorities are likely to announce a new phase of forced conscription after the elections.
On Aug. 10, Russia's Supreme Court canceled the registration of the Yabloko party's federal candidate list for the State Duma elections — Yabloko was the only party campaigning on anti-war platforms.
Russia's State Duma elections are scheduled for Sept. 18-20.
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