Closes borders

Automatically saved draft

Men walk past a billboard in Moscow advertising their service on the front line.

(Bild: APA/AFP/Natalia KOLESNIKOVA)

Since the beginning of the brutal war of aggression against Ukraine, at least 650,000 Russians have permanently turned their backs on their homeland. The Kremlin now wants to put a stop to the flight abroad, warns the British government.

Since the partial mobilization of the world's largest country in terms of area was announced in autumn 2022, hundreds of thousands of Russians - mainly young and well-educated - have fled abroad. The consequences for the labor market are enormous. According to an intelligence update on the war in Ukraine from the British Ministry of Defense, a special system is currently being developed to put a stop to this in the future:

 The announcement is based on a report by the independent Russian media organization "Medusa": according to the report, the Ministry of Defence in Moscow is working with the FSB intelligence service on a platform for exchanging information on potential conscripts. It should be operational before the conscription year begins in the fall. Every year, Russia conscripts 250,000 young men for a year of military service. The new system is intended to prevent many more from going abroad before the next call-up or in the event of further waves of mobilization.

Russian aggression has driven many citizens away
Most of the refugees have emigrated to Armenia (110,000), Kazakhstan and Israel (80,000 each), as the independent internet portal "The Bell" calculated. Russians do not need a visa to enter these countries. They are followed by Georgia (73,562) and the USA (48,033).

Germany is also a preferred destination for Russian refugees - 36,000 Russian refugees are recorded there. This is followed by Serbia (30,000) and Turkey (28,308). Austria, on the other hand, is at the bottom of the list with 3406 people, placing it between the Republic of Moldova and Bulgaria. There is no official information from Moscow about the number of people who have left the country.

There is plenty of war propaganda to be seen in the Russian capital.

(Bild: APA/AFP/Natalia KOLESNIKOVA)

"The Bell" states that the calculations are based on data from migration authorities. In total, data from more than 70 countries was used, including newly issued residence permits and applications for political asylum. According to the portal, the data is not complete. Some countries popular with Russians such as Thailand, Azerbaijan and Cyprus did not respond to inquiries. Other countries such as the United Arab Emirates, to which many Russians also moved after the start of the war, were not included in the calculation at all.

Conscientious objectors are not granted asylum in the EU
Not everyone who has turned their back on Russia is an opponent of war. They also include many people who do business elsewhere in order to circumvent sanctions. Incidentally, the number of Russian war refugees who have fled to Europe is low. This is also due to the fact that the EU quickly closed its borders to Russia. Moreover, conscientious objection alone is not considered a reason for political asylum. This is why, apart from Germany, only Spain (+16,000) is among the top 10 destination countries for Russian emigrants.