Russians leave ahead of feared post-election mobilisation restrictions

Requests for emigration assistance from Russia have nearly octupled since summer, according to the anti-war project Ark, as people fear a new military call-up and possible exit bans. The reported increase coincides with State Duma elections and follows the introduction of an electronic summons system that can automatically restrict travel.

Russians worried that authorities could announce a new military mobilisation after the State Duma elections are leaving the country early, according to the anti-war project Ark. The organisation said requests for emergency assistance and advice on emigration have nearly octupled since the beginning of summer.

The surge coincides with elections that began on Friday and run through Sunday. Kremlin critics and several Western governments have alleged that Moscow could wait until voting ends before announcing a new call-up, potentially avoiding an unpopular measure during the election period. President Vladimir Putin has rejected mobilisation rumours as “utter nonsense,” while independent Russian media have counted 17 official denials of an imminent draft since summer.

Jan Slovitsky, a human rights activist and Ark coordinator, said the latest movement reflected experiences from 2022, when a partial mobilisation prompted a much larger exodus. He said daily requests for relocation assistance had increased from about 70 to 120 since July. Slovitsky also linked the current anxiety to fuel shortages and limited internet access, alongside fears of mobilisation.

Searches on Yandex and Google for “how to leave” and “mobilisation” reached their highest levels since early 2023 during the summer and the first 10 days of September, according to an analysis by independent Russian media. The precise scale of the current departures is not known, but the source material says they are probably smaller than the 2022 exodus, when independent estimates put departures at 600,000 to 700,000 people within weeks.

The authorities have introduced an electronic register of summonses under which an exit ban takes effect automatically once a notice is issued. In September, passport officers in Krasnodar reportedly stopped a 24-year-old man who had completed military service in 2024 and served him with a notice barring him from leaving. Daniil Neonov, a former municipal election candidate, said he left after receiving an electronic summons, fearing his departure would soon be blocked.

Many of those leaving are travelling to visa-free destinations including Armenia, Georgia and Kazakhstan. Ark said Armenia was facing a migration crisis, while Yerevan has said it is ready to assist arrivals. Ukraine has also warned of a possible large-scale Russian call-up, but Moscow has not commented on Kyiv’s claims.