President Putin Publicizes Mobilization: Flight From Russia Ludes Mediate, Ticket Price

Illustration of passenger queues at Irkutsk Airport in Russia. (Wikimedia Commons/Vaciliy Tatarinov)

JAKARTA - Flights from Russia have been sold, ticket prices skyrocketed, after President Vladimir Putin announced the mobilization for the first time since World War II.

Google Trends data shows a spike in searches for Aviales, Russia's most popular flight booking site, as reported by Reuters, September 21.

Direct flights from Moscow to Istanbul in Turkey and Yerevan in Armenia, both destinations that allow Russians to enter without a visa, were sold out on Wednesday, according to Aviales data. Flights from Moscow to Istanbul via Turkish Airlines were all booked or not available until Sunday, at 14:15 Moscow time.

Some routes with stopovers, including from Moscow to Tbilisi, the Georgian capital, are also not available. Meanwhile, the cheapest flights to Dubai cost more than 300,000 rubles (US$5,000), about five times the average monthly wage.

Meanwhile, the one-way fare to Turkey jumped to nearly 70,000 rubles (1,150 US dollars), compared to about 22,000 rubles a week ago, according to Google Flights data.

Separately, the head of the Russian tourism agency said that so far no restrictions have been imposed on traveling abroad. Meanwhile, Aeroflot, the country's airline, said it did not limit ticket sales.

The announcement of mobilization by President Putin on television raises concerns that some combat-age men will not be allowed to leave the country.

Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said the call would be limited to those with experience as professional soldiers.

Meanwhile, those classified as students and conscripted in the military are not included in this mobilization.

The Kremlin declined to comment on whether the border would be closed to those subject to mobilization orders, asking people to be patient when law is clarified.