Sergei, who hastily fled Russia with his son for fear of being sent to the front in Ukraine, in the arrivals area of ​​Armenia’s Yerevan airport, looks sad and exhausted.

The 44-year-old, who chose not to reveal his surname, is one of thousands of Russians who have left their country since the invasion of Ukraine. mobilization of reserves.

Officials said 300,000 reservists would be called in, but many Russians fear a much larger mobilization.

“The situation in Russia made me decide to leave. Yes, we left Russia because of mobilization,” Sergei told AFP. His 17-year-old son, Nikolai, agrees: “We decided not to wait to be drafted.”

He insists on the “uncertainty” that expresses his “sadness” in the face of events and dominates. A feeling shared by other Russians who came to Armenia on the same plane, where they could stay in the Caucasus for up to 180 days without the need for a visa.

“It’s not good to go to war in the 21st century, to say the least,” says 39-year-old Alexei.

He does not know whether he will one day return to Russia. “Everything depends on the situation.”

Another Russian, who refused to give his name “for security reasons”, says he was “shocked” when mobilization was announced.

“Almost nobody supports this war,” he says in Russia. “It’s very painful, I just want it to end.”

Since Vladimir Putin’s mobilization order, most of those who have come to Yerevan are war-age men. Many seemed scared and reluctant to share their reasons for leaving everything behind.

More than 1,300 people were arrested in protests against mobilization across Russia on Wednesday, according to the expert NGO OVD-Info.

‘Fear’

Dmitri, 45, says he fled to Armenia with a single backpack, leaving behind his wife and two children, and has “no idea” what to do.

“I don’t want to go to war. I don’t want to die in this senseless war. It’s a war of fratricide,” he sums up.

According to the Google Trends tool, which tracks Google search trends, the frequency of “leaving Russia” increased nearly 100 times after the mobilization announcement on Wednesday morning.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday that reports of Russian immigration were “largely exaggerated”.

However, flights from Russia, which have been very limited and expensive since the adoption of Western sanctions following the invasion of Ukraine, were sold to nearly all destinations still available over the next few days.

And on social media, many fear the closure of an imminent border that would deprive the Russians of any way out, including by land.

A 23-year-old project manager from Moscow told AFP, on condition of anonymity, that he had urgently booked a flight as he planned to leave Russia in October following the mobilization announcement.

“I am afraid of mobilization. I am one of those who risk being summoned,” he said.

Among his friends, “some went to the demonstrations (against mobilization) because they had nothing to lose. Some study the laws and consult with lawyers to see if they risk being summoned,” the young man continues.

According to the latest figures from the Armenian Immigration Office, about 40,000 Russians have arrived in the country in June since the invasion of Ukraine began. According to official figures, 50,000 people came to neighboring Georgia in the same period.