Putin announced the mobilization of 300,000 people for the war.

One-way flights out of Russia quickly sold out on Wednesday, after Vladimir Putin ordered the immediate call-up of 300,000 reservists, through the approval of the partial mobilization mechanism.

Putin’s announcement, made in a televised speech this morning, sent the country into an uproar.

According to Reuters, Google Trends data showed an increase in searches for Aviasales, Russia’s most popular website for booking flights.

Direct flights from Moscow to Istanbul, Turkey, and Yerevan, Armenia – both destinations that allow visas for Russians to enter – were already sold out this Wednesday, according to Aviasales data.

Some routes with stopovers, including those from Moscow to Tbilisi, were also unavailable, while the cheapest flights from the capital to Dubai cost more than 300,000 rubles (over 5,000 euros), about five times the country’s average monthly salary.

The Russian Defense Minister announced that of the 300,000 reservists mobilized. students are not included. After Putin’s speech, Sergei Shoigu said, quoted by AFP, that at the moment the fight is “not so much against Ukraine, but against the West”.

Shoigu also said that people “will receive military training before being mobilized”, adding that the mobilization will not include “people who have served as recruits or students”.

Source: With Agencies