Russians escaping mobilization look to Georgia

Russia’s border with Georgia has been swamped by thousands of military-age men looking to flee Russian President Vladimir Putin’s partial mobilization order for the past week. 

Partial mobilization means any man aged 18-60 can be conscripted, something many want to avoid, and even escape. 

The situation is tense on both sides of the mountain crossing. Just getting to the checkpoint necessitates long days and nights of waiting. There are no toilets, food, or clean water. Even so, it’s a price many are willing to pay just to avoid being called up to feed Putin’s faltering fight in Ukraine.   

“I realized that if I didn’t start leaving soon, I would not be able to leave later and could even end up in the army,” said Alexy, a 34-year-old movie director.

For Alexy, the journey to the border was not easy. He had to pass through multiple checkpoints where those manning them tried to stop him.

“They tried to prevent me from getting to the border in every possible way,” he told i24NEWS.

In the first days after Putin announced mobilization, the queue to the Russia-Georgia border stretched over 12 miles, he recalled. Some of those waiting ran out of water and food and were forced to rely on the kindness of local residents, who brought them water and apples.

At least 68,000 people have entered Georgia in the past two weeks, amid rumors that Russia could close its borders on those eligible for mobilization. Some people claimed they had to wait four to five days to get to the crossing point.

Others were so desperate they abandoned their cars and tried to cross the border on foot, bicycles, or scooters to bypass the large crowds and traffic jams.

The checkpoint has also become a mecca for corruption. Many are forced to bribe border guards – located on the Russian side of the border – to move further up in the line of cars.

"We were approaching the last checkpoint when we were told that we would definitely not be able to pass. They said we would need 250,000 roubles ($4,300) to get to North Ossetia,” said Alexander, a 33-year-old artist, referring to the republic of Russia situated in the North Caucasus of eastern Europe, just north of Georgia.

“A girl arrived in a car with a guy. They had to give a bribe of 80,000, right at the entrance, no questions asked. They said they gave it because it was their last chance,” he recalled.

Alexander said everyone he met gave bribes ranging on average from $860 to $2,600.

Julia, a pregnant 30-year-old teacher who made the long journey from St. Petersburg with her husband – also a teacher – to escape the realities of Putin’s wartime Russia, had no money to bribe the border guards. Consequently, they had to endure three days waiting in line.

Some volunteers were handing out food and warm blankets at the border, others provided information and free accommodation to those in need. One of them being Egor Kuroptev, the director of the Free Russia Foundation, which offers shelter for political refugees and a hotline to Russians escaping mobilization.

But while George is a safe haven for Russians, for Georgians who support Ukraine, their arrival is a burden.

Many do not welcome the arrival of citizens of the country that occupied 20 percent of their homeland. The unrecognized republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, which Georgia considers its territories, are still de facto governed by Moscow.

Georgia’s government has also yet to come up with a way to regulate the influx of people. The Georgian Opposition has called the new wave of Russian migrants a “threat to the national security” and demanded a visa regime to control who can seek temporary refuge.

Anti-Russian protests have also taken place right at the border, and new arrivals at Tbilisi airport have been met with sarcastic “Hello, Russian deserters” posters.

But Kuroptev believes Russians arriving in Georgia need not fear: “If Russians don’t carry any risks, for Georgians, they have nothing to worry about."

Around 260,000 men have fled Russia since mobilization was first announced, according to Russian media.

Since most European countries have closed their borders to Russians, Georgia remains one of a few escape routes for those who do not want to fight against Ukraine. But while the line at the border is slowly dying out, tensions between newly arriving Russians and Georgia’s local population are likely to get worse.