Flights Out Of Russia Surge In Price, Still Sell Out After Putin Orders Call Up

One-way airfares from Russia surged on Wednesday after President Vladimir Putin announced the mobilization of some reservists to bolster Moscow’s forces in Ukraine.

According to Putin’s statement, the price of a one-way economy class flight from Moscow to Istanbul or Dubai soared to 561,730 rubles ($9,119) within hours of Putin’s announcement. NPR. However, this week’s tickets are reportedly sold out schedule From Aeroflot, the national airline of Russia.

Direct flights to other visa-free destinations, including Yere in Armenia and Almaty in Kazakhstan, will either sell out or skyrocket in price over the next few days.

Tickets for stopover routes from Moscow to Tbilisi, Georgia, were also sold out. One-way fares from Moscow to Turkey soared to more than 163,000 rubles ($2,648). By comparison, a direct flight from Russia to Turkey costs just over 22,000 rubles ($357). google flight data.

Demand for flights from Russia surged after Putin announced Wednesday morning that he was “partially mobilizing” citizens for the war in Ukraine. Russians with military experience could also be drafted, the president said.

“Today, our armed forces are fighting on a contact line of more than 1,000 kilometers, not only against neo-Nazi forces, but in fact against the war machine of the entire Western collective,” Putin said in his speech. media area.

“In light of this, I think it is necessary to make the following decision, which is entirely appropriate given the threats we face. Namely, in order to protect our homeland, sovereignty and territorial integrity, and to ensure the safety of our people and people in the liberated areas , I think it is necessary to support the proposal for a partial mobilization of the Ministry of Defense and the General Staff in the Russian Federation.”

Russian Defense Minister Shoigu later added that Moscow would initially Assemble 300,000 reservists. He reiterated that only those with combat and service experience would be transferred.

Almost immediately after the announcement, men across Russia — most of them reservists under the age of 35 — started getting notifications.Other men had their IDs checked on the street and were ordered to attend health checks, first reports Washington post.