Russian envoy plays down mobilization fears amid reports of 20k fleeing to Georgia

Nebenzya made the remarks at a UN press briefing when asked by a Ukrainian journalist about reports of thousands of military-aged Russian men fleeing across the border into Georgia to avoid a potential draft.

Recent reporting indicated that roughly 20,000 people crossed the Upper Lars border checkpoint between Russia and Georgia within a single 24-hour period — the same mountain crossing used by tens of thousands of Russians to escape the country after Vladimir Putin declared "partial mobilization" in September 2022.

"Don't worry about mobilization in Russia. I believe official statements have repeatedly made this clear: we do not need a mass mobilization right now, and it is neither planned nor expected," Nebenzya stated, qualifying his comment with: "as far as I know."

On Aug. 11, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that Russia is preparing an autumn mobilization slated to launch immediately following staged parliamentary elections, citing findings from Ukraine’s Military Intelligence (HUR).

On Aug. 8, Zelenskyy warned that Putin is seeking covert mobilization mechanisms to draft personnel without officially declaring it, while continuing to integrate North Korean support into Russia's war effort against Ukraine.

According to Financial Times, Russian authorities are aggressively intensifying aggressive domestic recruitment campaigns to avoid declaring a formal mobilization. Police are conducting workplace raids and rounding up men on city streets for recruitment offices, while officials target debtors and pressure university students and women with high-demand specialties into signing military service contracts.