Moments after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced plans for a “partial mobilization” as part of the war in Ukraine, flights to nearby countries began to sell out.
Flights to Istanbul, Turkey, and Yerevan, Armenia, were sold out quickly after the speech, according to Lenta, a Russian newspaper.
PUTIN ANNOUNCES PARTIAL MOBILIZATION OF CONSCRIPTS, THREATENS USING NUKES
✈️ Все билеты на прямые рейсы в Стамбул и Ереван раскупили за несколько минут после обращения Путина pic.twitter.com/TJRZuRlERR
— Лента.ру (@lentaruofficial) September 21, 2022
Turkey and Armenia are two countries Russians may travel to without a visa.
Flights to Baku, Azerbaijan, Almaty, Kazakhstan, and Tbilisi, Georgia, are also selling out or going for four to five times the normal price, according to Google Flights. Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Georgia are also countries Russians may enter without a visa.
The sudden interest in one-way flights out of Russia comes after Putin announced earlier Wednesday he had signed a decree enacting conscriptions for the country’s struggling military.
“We are talking about partial mobilization. That is, only citizens who are currently in the reserve will be subject to conscription, and above all, those who served in the armed forces who have a certain military specialty and relevant experience,” Putin said.
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The announcement by Putin comes as Ukrainian forces have mounted a successful counteroffensive in recent weeks and have retaken previously Russian-occupied land.
