Reuters: 'escape' flights from Russia skyrocket after military draft begins

A sharp rise in internet searches and the purchase of tickets for flights "fleeing" from Russia is reported by Reuters, in the wake of the partial conscription announced by Vladimir Putin, seven months after the invasion of Ukraine.

As Reuters reports, one-way flights from Russia have become a runaway in recent hours. Citing Google Trends data, the agency reports that there has been a sharp rise in searches on Aviasales, the most popular website in Russia for searching and buying airline tickets.

In fact, it is reported that seats on direct flights to Istanbul and Yerevan (to Turkey and Armenia, i.e. destinations where no visa is required) are sold out, according to Aviasales data.

At the same time, some routes with stopovers, including those from Moscow to Tbilisi, Georgia, were also unavailable, while the cheapest flights from the Russian capital to Dubai cost more than 300,000 rubles ($5,000), or about five times the average monthly salary.

It will be recalled that, as the Russian Defence Minister said in a television interview, 300,000 reservists will be called up immediately. He clarified that students and people who have served as conscripts will be excluded. He noted that those called up will first receive military training.

[This article was translated from its Greek original]