Amid rumors of mobilization: Russians have begun fleeing to Georgia in droves
19 August 21:52
Tens of thousands of Russians have decided to leave for Georgia amid rumors of a possible new wave of mobilization this fall. Russia’s Federal Customs Service (FCS) reported “record passenger traffic” at the Verkhniy Lars border crossing. According to its data, on August 15 and 16, more than 19,000 people crossed the checkpoint into Georgia each day, and on August 18—more than 20,000, writes "Komersant Ukrainian", citing Russian propaganda media.
“Current figures significantly exceed those for the same periods in previous years,” the FCS noted.
According to eyewitnesses, a major traffic jam has formed on the Russian side of the border, and cars are moving at a speed of 50 meters per hour.
Verkhniy Lars is the only land border crossing between Russia and Georgia. In late September 2022, it was the busiest crossing on Russian territory—due to the mobilization announced by dictator Vladimir Putin, tens of thousands of Russians were leaving the country and were stuck in traffic jams stretching for several kilometers for days on end.
Prior to this, Russians had sharply increased demand for apartment rentals in Armenia’s capital, Yerevan.
“The situation is generally comparable to 2022,” one local real estate agent told the media. As a result, rental prices rose by 30%, and Russians began looking for options to share apartments with strangers. At the same time, according to media reports, there are no longer any “normal options” available for rent.
Earlier, media sources reported that following the September State Duma elections, the authorities might impose martial law in the country and carry out a mobilization. Rumors about the latter have been circulating for several months. In particular, analysts at the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) wrote about preparations for a new mobilization. Some European officials who spoke with The Washington Post also did not rule it out. According to them, the Kremlin may resort to such a step if heavy losses on the front lines continue.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stated that Putin intends to send “between 300,000 and 500,000 people” to the front as part of the new mobilization. He explained this by noting that, according to his data, since the beginning of the year, the Russian Ministry of Defense has recruited 221,000 contract soldiers, but casualties over the same period have reached 225,500, of whom 131,000 were killed.
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