Countries neighboring Russia notify thousands of exits after the mobilization decreed by Putin

The Kremlin avoids putting figures on possible defections, which have led other countries to tighten controls

MADRID, 27 Sep. (EUROPA PRESS) -

Countries neighboring Russia have detected an uptick in human trafficking on the border since President Vladimir Putin announced the partial mobilization of thousands of reservists, which has forced them to redefine strategies and has reopened the debate on the protection that it should be offered to those who want to avoid a potential call-up.

The Russian government has estimated at up to 300,000 reservists that it hopes to add to reinforce its military capacity in Ukraine and, although for now it has not ordered the closure of the borders for men who can be called up, it has not ruled out that this could happen either. in the future.

The spokesman for the Kremlin, Dimitri Peskov, on Tuesday avoided giving the official departure data these days -- "I don't have this figure," he argued before the media -- and has also refused to comment on the possible construction of a fence in the border with Finland, according to official Russian agencies.

The Finnish Border Guard proposed on Monday the construction of a fence that would cover some 260 kilometers to reinforce the areas considered to be at greatest risk - the border extends for some 1,300 kilometers -, within a broader plan to facilitate surveillance work. .

The Minister of the Interior, Krista Mikkonen, has not ruled out this possibility and has advocated that the Government as a whole study the proposal, in an interview with the Yle chain. Mikkonen, however, has stressed that border security is guaranteed today.

Only on Monday, more than 7,700 Russian citizens arrived in Finland, according to Border Guard statistics, which detects a decrease compared to the "peak" of arrivals that was the weekend. "Most continue to other countries," the institution explained on its social networks on Tuesday.

The increase in the migratory flow is also palpable in Georgia, where Russian arrivals have risen by at least 40 percent since the announcement of the mobilization. Local authorities estimate that about 10,000 Russian citizens cross into Georgian territory every day.

The Minister of the Interior, Vajtang Gomelauri, has confirmed that his government will not close the borders and will limit itself for now to reinforcing control tasks. At the Verjni Lars pass, the busiest, the queues of vehicles on the other side have reached 25 kilometers, reports the British public broadcaster BBC.

Kazakhstan, for its part, has already welcomed some 100,000 Russians since September 21. The Government has also confirmed through the Minister of the Interior, Marat Ajmetzhanov, that it will not extradite any Russian citizen fleeing possible enlistment, since this possibility does not appear in the bilateral deportation agreements.