Russians Flee Putin’s Military Draft, Race to Borders to Escape Fighting Ukraine

Cars coming from Russia wait in long lines at the border checkpoint between Russia and Finland near Vaalimaa, on Sept. 22, 2022. Olivier Morin/AFP via Getty Images

Men have reportedly been fleeing Russia in droves after the nation’s leader Vladimir Putin announced a partial mobilization of the army on Sept. 21 amid Moscow’s ongoing war with Ukraine.

Putin’s announcement, the first of its kind since World War II, came less than a day after pro-Russian leaders in four Ukrainian provinces: Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia announced plans to hold separate referendums on whether or not to join Russia.