Countries begin closing their borders to fleeing Russians
Written by Olivier Guiberteau
September 29, 2022
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Finland has announced it will close its border with Russia on the 30th of September, effectively closing one of the final avenues out of the country for fleeing Russians.
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Since Vladamir Putin’s announcement last week that he planned to conscript around 300,000 men into the Russian army to fight in Ukraine, over 250,000 are thought to have fled Russia.
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Images from many borders leading out of Russia have shown cues stretching for miles as military-age men attempt to avoid being sent to Ukraine.
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It was reported that some Russian border entry points were ordered to be closed on Wednesday as the government attempted to halt the fleeing tide.
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Georgia, Kazakhstan and Mongolia have all seen a huge number of Russians seeking refuge, while flights to other nations have quickly sold out.
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Finland has been another country that has seen large numbers of Russians arriving at the border, but the recent announcement by the Finnish government will see thousands soon turned away.
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There are also reports of draft checkpoints being installed on borders with government officers and members of the military looking to prevent people from leaving and draft them at the same time.
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It’s unclear how long the present situation can continue, but with 53,000 Russians entering Georgia last week and nearly 100,000 entering Kazakhstan, there are fears of a growing humanitarian issue.
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It seems more and more likely that other countries will begin to follow Finland’s decision and start to close their borders to Russians looking to escape the country.