More Than 113,000 Russians Cross Into Georgia in One Week Amid Mobilization Rumors — UNITED24 Media
More than 113,000 Russians left the country for Georgia through the Verkhny Lars checkpoint in a single week following rumors of a new draft.
On August 20 alone, over 20,000 people crossed through the border point. Russia’s Federal Customs Service stated that this figure significantly exceeds levels from previous years, as reported by Politico.
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In recent months, the Kremlin has intensified recruitment for contract soldiers, stepped up data collection on reservists, and expanded the powers of the Russian National Guard.
At the same time, Russia’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Vasily Nebenzya, stated on August 20 that a new mobilization in the country is “not planned and not expected.”
According to sources, Russia has been unable to consistently recruit more than 30,000 contract soldiers per month this year, with figures dropping to 27,000 in certain months.
Against this background, Russian authorities have increased focus on reservists, mainly men under the age of 55 who previously completed compulsory military service.
According to Ukrainian intelligence, Russia plans an additional mobilization wave of 600,000 people across 2026 and 2027, aiming for 300,000 recruits this year and another 300,000 next year amid Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Armenia could become another “reception point” for refugees fleeing mobilization, as was the case in the autumn of 2022. Yerevan will not hinder those seeking to avoid being sent to the Ukrainian front, Alen Simonyan, Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia, told TV Rain, according to The Moscow Times.
“To a Russian person, I can say only one thing: ‘Welcome to Armenia.’ Here we love everyone, we respect everyone. And here they will find everything they were looking for when coming to Armenia. And they will return to Russia whenever it is convenient for them,” he noted.
A state-run poll conducted by Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VTsIOM) in July 2026 revealed that 66% of Russian citizens believed “difficult times” lay ahead for the country, marking a 16 percentage point increase in public apprehension since the beginning of the year.
Driven by economic deterioration, long-range drone strikes on key infrastructure, and Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, public anxiety reached levels not seen since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 and the hyperinflation crisis of 1992.
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