...
By Isabel van Brugen
News Reporter
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
Russian lawmakers on Monday proposed placing restrictions on citizens attempting to leave the country.
Yevgeny Moskvichev, the head of Russia's State Duma Committee on Transport and Infrastructure Development, put forward amendments to a transport law that would make it a requirement for Russian citizens, and others, to book a time and place in advance to cross the border.
According to a copy of the legislative changes seen by Tass, Russia's state-run news agency, "Vehicles belonging to Russian transport companies, foreign transport companies, citizens of the Russian Federation, foreign citizens, stateless persons and other road users" must reserve a date and time "in order to cross the state border of the Russian Federation."
Read More
Putin’s Critics Are Getting Louder4 min read
Russian Troops Flee Ukraine, Order Taxi to Take Them 300 Miles Back Home3 min read
Russian Authorities Thwart Protests from Wives and Mothers of Recruits4 min read
If the bill is passed by the State Duma, it will go into effect on March 1.
...
Amid concerns that the changes could make it harder for Russians to exit the country, Moskvichev, who introduced the amendments, later suggested that the restrictions would apply just to cargo trucks and only be enforced at some of the country's land border crossing points. Such details weren't mentioned in the Tass report.
According to the independent Russian-language outlet Meduza, drivers will be able to reserve a date and time free, using a platform linked to Russia's Ministry of Transport.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined on Tuesday to elaborate on the matter when pressed by reporters at a press briefing.
After Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a partial mobilization order on September 21, 2022, hundreds of thousands of citizens fled the country. The order also sparked nationwide protests and a mass exodus of Russians fleeing across the border to neighboring countries, such as Georgia, Finland, Kazakhstan and Mongolia, to avoid being conscripted.
The exodus included officials serving in government offices, according to independent Russian news outlet Nestka, which found in late October that nearly a third of Moscow officials in the mayor's office had fled Russia within a month.
Male employees left en masse from some of the largest departments, including housing and communal services, health care and education, and IT specialists, according to the outlet, just weeks after government officials quit in droves after a colleague who was conscripted died in Ukraine.
The Institute for the Study of War, a U.S.-based think tank, said earlier this month that Putin may be preparing to announce a second mobilization drive. The Kremlin has so far denied any such reports.
Newsweek reached out to Russia's Foreign Ministry for comment.
Do you have a tip on a world news story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have a question about the Russia-Ukraine war? Let us know via worldnews@newsweek.com.
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines