On Wednesday morning, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced partial military mobilization. Shortly thereafter, there was a veritable run on international airline tickets. Almost all international connections are fully booked. Also on long-distance buses and trains it is almost impossible to get free seats.

In the meantime, the government took countermeasures and prohibited airlines and state railways from selling tickets to men of military age. A ban on being transported abroad was also imposed on them. Routes within the Russian Federation are not affected by this measure.

According to the Kremlin's statement, around 300.000 reservists are to be drafted and with their help the army's war against Ukraine is to be increased. The fact that almost all flight tickets on the few international flights that still exist were sold out within a few hours leads to the assumption that many of those who might be affected do not want to go to war, but wanted to flee abroad as a precautionary measure.

Flights to Turkey, Armenia and Georgia are currently in particularly high demand. Not only Russian carriers had a sharp increase in demand, but also foreign network carriers such as Turkish Airlines and Emirates Airline. The consequence of this is that ticket prices have skyrocketed in some cases exorbitantly. The train and the long-distance bus are not really an alternative, because here too tickets are difficult to get because almost everything is sold out.

In the meantime, the government of the Russian Federation has reacted and banned the sale of tickets to males between the ages of 18 and 65. Bans on transportation abroad were also imposed. Men who want to make their way abroad by car or on foot, for example, want to be held at the borders. It is pointed out that male citizens of military age are only allowed to leave the country with an exceptional military permit, which is usually not granted.