Russian border checkpoints, reservists stopped

The FSB confirms to Russian media that it has sent people to the border with Georgia “in case reservists want to break through the barriers.” Since President Putin announced that 300,000 reservists expect the army to be called up, there has been a long queue at the border crossing with Georgia.

Reporter Eva Hartog was at the border crossing with Georgia in recent days and spoke to people fleeing Russia:

The local Russian authorities also confirm that they have set up a checkpoint there.

Deterring fleeing reservists

There are reports that these checkpoints have also been set up on the border with Kazakhstan and at international airports around Moscow. A Russian human rights lawyer posts on Telegram a photo of the refusal papers received by a reservist when he tried to cross the border:

Reporter Eva Hartog believes that its main goal is to deter fleeing reservists. “So people don’t go to the border at all anymore, because there’s a very long traffic jam there. And there are discouraging acts. I read about guys who are really looking for places to check and where not.”

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So far, only a few cases of deferred people have been reported. “Also because many of the people trying to escape haven’t gotten a call yet, but are already leaving if they do get it later,” Hartog says. “In the coming days, we will see how many reservists are chosen in this way,” he added.

Then, according to Hartog, it will also become clear whether it will remain at a few random checkpoints, or whether Russia will expand the measure to include more border crossings.