Where to fly from Russia right now? Guide to emergency emigration

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A referendum is a popular vote for the will of the people on significant issues. The editors of Kholod believe that the voting organized by the Russian authorities in the occupied territory during the war cannot be called a real referendum, so the word in the text is used in quotation marks.

Putin announced mobilization?

Vladimir Putin announced a partial mobilization.

From September 23 to 27, will be held “referenda” on the entry into the Russian Federation of the territories occupied by Russia. If the self-proclaimed LPR and DPR, Kherson and part of the Zaporozhye region become part of the Russian Federation, then the Russian authorities may have grounds for introducing martial law and declaring full mobilization.

Whom does she concern?

According to Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, citizens who are currently in the reserve will be subject to conscription, and above all those who served in the Armed Forces, have certain military specialties and relevant experience. A total of 300 thousand people will be called. According to Shoigu, the mobilization resource in Russia is 25 million.

Pavel Chikov, a lawyer and head of the Agora human rights group, notes that partial mobilization applies only to those who have already served. According to the official decree , the grounds for dismissal from military service during the period of partial mobilization may be the achievement of the age limit for service (in Russia, men under 50 are subject to mobilization), health status and an outstanding or unexpunged conviction.

As political scientist Ekaterina Shulman writes , no parameters of this "partiality" - neither territorial nor categorical - are indicated in the decree. According to such a decree, anyone can be called up, except for employees of the military-industrial complex, who have a delay for the period of work. The task of conscription falls on the heads of the regions, who may determine the criteria more specifically in the future.

In the autumn conscription, which will begin on October 1, work with conscripts may be tougher, military expert Pavel Luzin believes. In his opinion, first of all, they can complicate obtaining deferrals.

Chat for recruits.

Is it worth it to leave Russia?

Some countries are now involved in territorial conflicts, others may deploy Russians on the border. For example, according to Yegor Kuroptev, director of the Free Russia Foundation in the South Caucasus, the border regime has been tightened in Georgia for several weeks now: , For example".

It is worth considering that emergency emigration from the Russian Federation can entail serious costs, and high demand will inevitably lead to a sharp rise in ticket prices. You must assess your risks and make a decision to leave on your own.

Documents prior to departure. Which ones to do in Russia, and which ones - abroad?

If you have one or two days to prepare

You will have time to make a general power of attorney for a person staying in the Russian Federation, an account for public services, issue bank cards in non-sanctioned banks for SWIFT transfers (Raiffeisen Bank, Gazprombank, Tinkoff suspended SWIFT transfers in the summer) and the MIR card, which is still accepted in some countries .

If you have one or two months

Only in Russia you can get an apostille for documents, an electronic signature and an internal passport.

Place an apostille on marriage, divorce, birth certificates, education documents, police clearance certificates, documents for pets. You can replace your internal passport if it is in poor condition, make a second passport, get an international driver's license, a Schengen or other visa (for information about countries issuing tourist visas to Russians, see here ) . Renew your bank cards if they are less than two years old.

Abroad, you can issue what you did not have time in Russia: in the consulate of the Russian Federation in any country there is an opportunity to receive notarial services (powers of attorney, certification of documents, execution of agreements). There you can also apply for a passport, deregister at the place of residence, obtain certificates of good conduct, register a marriage, request documents from the registry office. A full list of consular services is published on their websites. However, due to the large flow of expats, there are long queues at consulates, and slots are often unavailable for the next couple of months.

Schedule medical appointments before you leave. If you are taking medications, check to see if they or equivalents are available in the country you intend to immigrate to. Check with your doctor about the active ingredient of the medicine: abroad, analogues may be called differently. If possible, buy medicines with a margin.

Without a residence permit, most visas can only be obtained in Russia. You can apply for a visa to any country, including the Schengen countries, only with a residence permit in the host country.

Read more about the documents before and after the move here.

Which countries can you go to?

Without a passport

Armenia (180 days), Kazakhstan (30 days without registration + 60 with registration at the place of residence), Kyrgyzstan (30 days without registration + 6 months with registration at the place of residence).

Kyrgyzstan has just signed a peace agreement after an armed conflict with Tajikistan, and there are regular clashes on the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan . Consider cities as far away from the borders as possible: for example, Gyumri, Yerevan, Artik. Keep in mind that you can only get to Armenia without a foreign passport by air, since you can enter the country along the land border only through Georgia, and you need a passport to enter Georgia.

You can go to Minsk from Moscow by car (including a taxi) and from there fly to other countries. Belarus should be considered last, but if there are no tickets to the desired destinations, and there is no way to wait, then this is also a way.

With a passport, but without a visa

360 days - Georgia.

Yegor Kuroptev, director of the Free Russia Foundation in the South Caucasus: “Like some European countries, Georgia is trying to control the flow of Russian citizens entering. There have been more bounces in recent weeks than usual. It does not matter either the type of activity, or the border through which the Russians enter, or any other factors. As for activists, journalists, human rights activists, the Georgian authorities have publicly said that the flow should not be uncontrolled.”

180 days - Mexico (you need an electronic visa, which is issued independently on the site), Armenia.

90 days - Argentina, UAE, Brazil, Costa Rica, Chile, South Africa, Morocco, Peru, Ecuador, Qatar, Israel, Azerbaijan (at the stage of armed conflict with Armenia), Moldova (at the stage of a frozen conflict with unrecognized Transnistria), Tajikistan ( last week there was an armed conflict on the border with Kyrgyzstan. Now the parties have signed a peace protocol), Egypt (you need an electronic visa, which is issued independently. You can apply for a multiple entry for 90 days or a single entry for 30 days)

60 days - Cape Verde, Mauritius, Turkey, Uzbekistan, South Korea (you need an electronic visa, which is issued independently)

30 days - Thailand (until March 31, 2023 - 45 days ), India (you need to apply for an electronic visa lasting from 30 days to 5 years), Indonesia (you need to apply for a visa upon arrival at the airport), Malaysia, Montenegro, Sri Lanka (you need to apply electronic resolution), Mongolia, Laos, Serbia (in conflict with the unrecognized Republic of Kosovo, the last aggravation was in August).

Can they interrogate at the border?

We do not know what will change at the borders in the current situation. Based on the experience of March this year, when interrogations could be arranged at the border and phones could be inspected , it is better to protect yourself: delete chats that contain information that may “discredit the SVO and the authorities of the Russian Federation”, think over the legend about a week-long vacation, buy a return ticket. Hotel reservation is optional, but you can make sure. Tickets can be purchased on expedia.com and can be fully refunded within 24 hours.

Can I be extradited to Russia for draft evasion?

As lawyer and human rights activist Anastasia Burakova notes, extradition can happen if a criminal case is initiated in Russia against a conscript and he is put on an interstate (within the CIS) or international (outside the CIS) wanted list: did not have".

As . Kovcheg's lawyers point out, after the start of the war, the competent authorities of European states began to refuse ten times more often to the Prosecutor General's Office of the Russian Federation to extradite Russians involved in criminal cases Most likely, experts say, in the current situation, the trend will continue.
For draft evasion, according to the current Criminal Code, it can face up to two years (328 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). The new law, approved by the Duma, proposes a ten-year prison sentence for “arbitrary abandonment of a unit or for failure to appear on time without good reason for conscription or contract service during the period of mobilization and martial law”.

Checklist for emergency emigration from Russia

1. Prepare documents.

2. Check up- to-date information on visas, border crossing rules.

3. Choose a reliable route.

4. If you are leaving with your family, read the information about emigrating with children and pets

5. Prepare finances.

6. Save chats by relocation: unforeseen questions always arise along the way.

7. Check everything again on the checklist.

8. Read information about the country you are going to: about finding housing, food, finances, integration.

9. Start looking into employment if you don't have a remote job.

10. psychological help early Seek if you feel like you can't handle it.