Flights out of Russia sell out after Putins speech

On Wednesday, one-way flights out of Russia skyrocketed in price and sold out quickly after President Vladimir Putin commanded the urgent call-up of 300,000 reservists.

Putin’s official statement, made in an early-morning television address, fueled concerns that some men of fighting age would be barred from leaving the country.

Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu stated that the call-up would be restricted to those with professional military experience and that students and soldiers would not be called up.

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The Kremlin refused to elaborate on whether the frontiers would be shut to those pertaining to the mobilisation order, instead asking for patience while the law is clarified. 

Meanwhile, data from Google Trends revealed an increase in inquiries regarding Aviasales, Russia’s most common flight booking site.

According to Aviasales data, international flights from Moscow to Istanbul in Turkey, and Yerevan in Armenia, both of which permit Russians to enter without a visa, were immediately sold out on Wednesday.

Flights from Moscow to Istanbul on Turkish Airlines were either fully occupied or inaccessible until Sunday. 

Some layover routes, such as those from Moscow to Tbilisi, Georgia’s capital, were also inaccessible, and the cheapest tickets to Dubai cost more than 300,000 roubles ($5,000) – roughly five times the standard monthly wage.

According to Google Flights data, typical one-way fares to Turkey have risen to nearly 70,000 roubles ($1,150) from just over 22,000 roubles a week ago.

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According to the Aviatorism platform, Russian airlines Aeroflot and S7 are not enforcing any limitations on the sale of their tickets as a result of the official statement.

On September 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that the decree authorising the partial mobilisation of the country’s 2 million-strong military reserves had been signed, as the conflict in Ukraine entered its seventh month. The West will view Putin’s action, which he stated was made “to defend the motherland, its sovereignty, and territorial integrity,” as an escalation.