Increasingly more Russians are preparing to leave the country again, amid fears of a possible new military mobilization and growing pressures on the population. The phenomenon recalls the exodus of 2022, triggered after the announcement of partial mobilization for the war in Ukraine.
Signs of a new departure have become visible in several states in the region. In Georgia, Armenia, and Serbia, the demand for housing from Russian citizens has reportedly increased in recent weeks. According to the publication Meduza, rumors of a mobilization after the elections for the State Duma have contributed to the increase in the number of Russians seeking to settle temporarily in these countries.
An example is Ruslan, a 29-year-old Russian who left the country in 2022, along with his pregnant fiancée and their dog. The two of them traveled almost 2,000 kilometers to Georgia, and later lived in Serbia. In 2024, they returned to Russia, convinced that the situation had become safe enough.
Now, Ruslan has left for Georgia again.
“My plan is simple: to wait outside of Russia until it is safe for me to return,” he declared.
Russia is seeking new recruits without an officially announced mobilization
According to the analysis, Russia is expanding its recruitment capacity without the need, at least for now, for a new mobilization on the scale of the one in 2022.
The Kremlin relies on constant recruitment, mandatory military service, pressure on potential recruits, and forced recruitment in occupied territories of Ukraine.
In June, authorities in the Penza region reportedly conducted raids to identify men and compel them to sign contracts with the army.
At the same time, Russia needs not only military personnel, but also specialists. Modern warfare requires qualified personnel for operating drones, developing military technologies, engineering, and programming.
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