More than 113,000 Russian citizens crossed into Georgia through the Verkhny Lars checkpoint over the past week following rumors of a new military draft, Politico reported On Aug. 20 alone, over 20,000 people crossed the border. Russia’s Federal Customs Service confirmed the figures significantly exceed crossing levels from previous years.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. Armenia is also preparing for a potential influx of draft evaders. Alen Simonyan, Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia, told TV Rain that Yerevan will not hinder those seeking to avoid being sent to the Ukrainian front. “To a Russian person, I can say only one thing: ‘Welcome to Armenia,’” Simonyan said, as cited by The Moscow Times. “Here they will find everything they were looking for... And they will return to Russia whenever it is convenient for them.” The surge at the borders coincides with intensified Kremlin efforts to recruit contract soldiers and expand data collection on reservists, primarily targeting men under the age of 55. Despite these measures, Russia’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Vasily Nebenzya, stated on Aug. 20 that a new mobilization is “not planned and not expected.” Sources indicate Russia has struggled to consistently recruit its target of 30,000 contract soldiers per month this year, with figures dropping to 27,000 in certain months. Ukrainian intelligence assesses that Russia plans to mobilize an additional 600,000 personnel across 2026 and 2027. Amid these reports, a state-run VTsIOM poll conducted in July 2026 showed that 66% of Russians believe “difficult times” lie ahead for the country, marking a 16-percentage-point increase since the beginning of the year.