As flights out of Russia were almost fully booked after President Vladimir Putin’s mobilisation call on Wednesday, media reports suggested that Russian airlines had stopped selling tickets to Russian men between the age of 18 to 65- those who could be drafted as the martial law could be imposed.
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on Wednesday that the decree on partial mobilisation of its 2 million-strong military reserves has been signed. The decision, which Putin said was taken “to defend the motherland, its sovereignty and territorial integrity” is viewed as an escalation by the West and has triggered fears in Russia.
Read more: Russians want to know ‘how to break arm at home’ to evade Putin’s move: Report
Traffic on the eastern Finnish border with Russia also increased over night on Wednesday and the surge in activity continued on Thursday morning as well, Finnish border guard informed.
Direct flights to cities in nearby countries of Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan were also sold out, the Aviasales website, Russia’s popular airline said.
