Ukraine war sees Russians fleeing country to avoid conscription and 'Europe attack' threat

Ukraine war sees Russians fleeing country to avoid conscription and 'Europe attack' threat Russians are heading to the border in record numbers to avoid being conscripted into the army after details leaked of Vladimir Putin's huge new mobilisation drive Record numbers of Russians have been fleeing the country as Vladimir Putin prepares to draft more citizens into a crumbling army. Over 113,000 people and 33,000 cars crossed the Russia-Georgia border via the Verkhniy Lars checkpoint last week, according to official figures - while the Federal Customs Service reported a single-day record of 20,000 passenger crossings on August 18. It follows leaked details of a new mobilisation drive coming in the autumn, which is set see 300,000 to 500,000 men drafted into the military to fight in Ukraine after another summer of heavy losses. Previous rounds of conscription have prompted similar spikes in temporary and permanent emigration among eligible citizens - classed as anyone over the age of 18. Details picked up by exiled Russian opposition media and Ukrainian intelligence suggested that authorities are planning a "peripheral mobilisation" that would target rural areas and smaller cities, scheduled to begin after the parliamentary elections in mid-September. The focus on provincial areas would help avoid backlash in major urban centres like Moscow and St Petersburg, where fuel shortages have caused large queues outside petrol stations in recent weeks - an unhelpful spectacle for the Kremlin propaganda machine. Neighbouring countries have said they are ready to accept a new Russian influx. On Tuesday, Armen Grigoryan, the Secretary of Armenia's Security Council, said that Armenia will not block or question Russians fleeing a new mobilisation, telling reporters: "No one at the border is going to ask anyone why they came here.. "To Russians, all I can say is 'Welcome to Armenia'. Here, we love and respect everyone". The nation has become a favourite destination for Russian emigrants as the war in Ukraine has progressed, with 417,000 entering Armenia in just the first half of 2026. It comes US as intelligence agencies continue to warn of a potential escalation of the war by Vladimir Putin in the months ahead - with fears emerging that the Kremlin could be about to launch a "limited incursion" on a NATO country. CIA chief John Ratcliffe travelled to Russia for unannounced talks on Tuesday, where he is believed to have urged the Russians not to launch any attack on the smaller Baltic nations, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. All three countries signed a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen last month warning of a "deteriorating security environment" and an "increased frequency of airspace violations and drone incursions." The last known time the head of the CIA travelled to Moscow was when Mr Ratcliffe’s predecessor William Burns flew over for talks in 2021, just a few months before Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.