Russia votes, but many flee fearing post election mobilization

Kremlin stages wartime election while a surge in Russians seeking to leave raises fears a new military draft could follow

Vladimir Putin is using Russia's first wartime parliamentary election to project unity and support for his war in Ukraine — but as Russians head to the polls, others are rushing for the exits fearing a new mobilisation could follow.

Three days of voting began on Friday for the 450-seat State Duma, with more than 111 million Russians eligible to vote.

The election is heavily controlled by the Kremlin, with the ruling United Russia party expected to retain its overwhelming dominance and virtually no genuine anti-war opposition on the ballot.

But beyond the polling stations, another Russia is emerging — one where people are making plans to leave before they potentially lose the ability to do so.

‘How to leave’ searches surge

The anti-war emigration project Ark says requests for urgent help leaving Russia have risen almost eightfold since the start of the summer.

Searches for “how to leave” and “mobilisation” have also reached their highest levels since early 2023, according to independent Russian media analysis cited by Euronews.

People helping Russians relocate say the timing is striking, with the surge coinciding with the parliamentary election.

The fear is that once the voting is over, the Kremlin could announce another military mobilisation — or introduce measures making it harder for people of military age to leave.

Moscow says there is no new draft

There is, however, no announcement of a new mobilisation.

Russian officials have repeatedly denied that one is being prepared, while Putin has dismissed rumours of mobilisation.

That has done little to stop the speculation.

The fear is partly rooted in what happened in September 2022, when Russia announced its “partial mobilisation” shortly after a period of military setbacks.

Russia's electronic military summons system has also changed the equation. Once a summons is issued and entered into the system, restrictions on leaving the country can be triggered.

For Russians who believe another mobilisation could come, the calculation is therefore simple: leave before it becomes impossible.

An election designed to show unity

Inside Russia, meanwhile, the Kremlin is presenting the election as evidence of national unity behind the war.

Putin urged voters to demonstrate that millions of Russians stand behind the country's soldiers and share common values.

United Russia already controls more than two-thirds of the Duma and is expected to retain its grip on parliament.

The liberal Yabloko party, which criticised the war, was removed from the party ballot, while other anti-war politicians have been imprisoned or forced into exile.

The election is also taking place in Russian-occupied parts of four Ukrainian regions, something Kyiv and the European Union have condemned as illegal.

Two very different Russias

That leaves a striking picture of Russia in the fifth year of the war.

One Russia is voting.

Another Russia is trying to leave.

The Kremlin wants the election to demonstrate unity and provide political backing for the continuation of the war.

But the surge in emigration requests suggests that at least some Russians are looking at what comes after the election with very different expectations.

There is no confirmation that a new mobilisation is coming.

Yet the fact that people are leaving now because they fear one may be coming is itself becoming part of the story.

ORIGINAL SOURCE: AP. Euro News