Published August 30th, 2026 - 07:47 GMT
ALBAWABA - More than 113,000 Russian citizens went fleeing to Georgia via the Verkhny Lars border crossing in a single week after rumors began spreading of another round of mobilization.Ukrainian intelligence officials are predicting a new 600,000-person mobilization wave to occur in 2026 through 2027.On the 20th of August, 20,000 Russians crossed the border into Georgia in a single day, significantly exceeding levels from previous years, with Armenia, Georgia’s neighbor, welcoming the draft dodgers.Alen Simonyan, Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia, said that Armenia will not hinder those seeking to avoid being sent to the Ukrainian front, saying:“To a Russian person, I can say only one thing: ‘Welcome to Armenia,’“Here they [Russians] will find everything they were looking for... And they will return to Russia whenever it is convenient for them.”Russia’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Vasily Nebenzya, denied the rumors, saying that new mobilizations are “not planned and not expected.”However, some analysts suggest that Russia might be delaying any official announcement until after the Russian parliamentary elections in September to avoid political risks at home.
