One-way flights out of Russia were selling out rapidly on Thursday a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered immediate call-up of 300,000 reservists in a move that is being seen as an escalation of war by the West.
Putin's call for mobilisation almost seven months since Russia's February invasion of Ukraine raised fears in Russians of imposition of martial law which could mean that men of fighting age would not be allowed to leave the country, Reuters reported. Explaining the call-up, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu had said that the mobilisation will be limited to those with experience as professional soldiers and students will not be called up.
Nevertheless, panic spread in Russians after Putin's announcement showing a spike in Google Trends data. Russians searched for Aviasales, Russia's most popular website for purchasing flights, data showed.
Read more: There will be consequences’: EU on Putin's military mobilisation order
{{/usCountry}}Read more: There will be consequences’: EU on Putin's military mobilisation order
{{/usCountry}}Direct flights from Moscow to Istanbul in Turkey and Yerevan in Armenia, where Russians can enter without a visa, were sold out on Wednesday, according to Aviasales data, as reported by Reuters.