In view of the mass flight of Russian conscientious objectors to the Central Asian neighboring country of Kazakhstan, Russian authorities now want to filter out conscripts at the border.
In the next few days, a temporary mobilization center will be opened at the Karausek border crossing in the Russian region of Astrakhan, the regional administration announced on Thursday, according to the state agency TASS. At the border, a mile-long queue of men of draft age had formed, it said.
At the border crossing, the passports of those leaving the country would in future be compared with the draft lists. Anyone who falls under the mobilization criteria and does not have an official deferment or an exit permit from the military is not allowed to leave the country.
Almost 100,000 Russians entered Kazakhstan
According to the information, Karausek is the main border crossing point for car traffic from Russia to the ex-Soviet Republic of Kazakhstan. The Kazakh migration authorities announced on Tuesday that almost 100,000 Russian citizens had entered Kazakhstan since the partial mobilization of reservists called by Russian President Vladimir Putin on September 21.
Emigration from Russia to Georgia, which borders to the south, has also become more difficult. The Russian republic of North Ossetia in the Caucasus, which borders Georgia, announced entry restrictions on Wednesday.
