Russia will stop issuing passports to reservists mobilized by the army, the Russian government information portal said on Wednesday, as thousands of people want to leave the country.
“If a citizen has already been called up for military service or has been called up (for mobilization or service), the international passport will be refused”announces the government portal and refers that in these cases “the citizen will be notified to explain the reason for the refusal and the period of validity of this refusal”.
Russians need an international passport to travel to most other countries, although they can travel to countries like Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan with an internal passport, equivalent to an identity card.
The announcement of restrictions on the issuance of international passports comes as many Russians fear the closure of the border as part of a campaign to mobilize reservists to send more troops to Ukraine.
The exodus reached a dimension that forced the Russian security services to set up a mobile mobilization office, on the border with Georgia, to intercept those who wanted to leave the country.
Russian President Vladimir Putin assured that only those who already have military experience or skills relevant to the military will be mobilized, but the recruitment of the elderly, the sick and students, supposedly exempt, is causing unrest among the population.
The military offensive launched by Russia in Ukraine on Feb. 24 has already resulted in more than 13 million people having fled — more than six million internally displaced persons and more than 7.4 million to European countries — according to the most recent UN data, which rank this refugee crisis as the worst in Europe since World War II (1939-1945).
The Russian invasion – justified by Russian President Vladimir Putin, with the need to “denazify” and demilitarize Ukraine for Russia’s security – was condemned by the generality of the international community, which has responded by sending arms to Ukraine and Russia of political and economic sanctions.
Source: DN
