Google searches for “how to leave Russia” skyrocketed in the lead-up to a Wednesday morning decree from President Vladimir Putin.
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Russian men took to the internet to figure out escape routes from the country this week.
Google searches for “how to leave Russia” skyrocketed in the lead-up to a Wednesday morning decree from President Vladimir Putin that drafted nearly 300,000 new soldiers for the war in Ukraine. Putin was expected to announce tapping into military reserves Tuesday night (which is when the Google search first spiked), but the announcement was pushed to Wednesday morning.
One-way plane tickets to the few countries that allow Russians to enter sans visa jumped in price and quickly sold out after Russia ordered its first mobilization since World War II.
Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said only Russians with previous military experience will get called up, but many men in the country worry their service requirement is not an “if,” but a “when.”
It’s Putin’s biggest move since the invasion. In his announcement, Putin claimed that he decided to bring in backup due to Western aggression that “wants to destroy our country.” He also stated he supported annexing parts of Russian-occupied Ukraine and doubled down on threats to use nuclear weapons to defend his country.—MM
