Russia will no longer issue passports to citizens drafted into military service as part of the partial mobilization. The Russian government announced on Wednesday on its website that those affected were “denied their passports”. Since President Vladimir Putin announced partial mobilization on September 21, tens of thousands of people have left Russia for neighboring countries.
According to the government website, people who are denied a passport will also be told how long the ban will remain in effect. In the past few days, many of those affected had already feared exit bans. In several cases it was reported that those wishing to leave the country had been refused entry to the border.
In Russia, only a small part of the population holds an international passport. But Russia also issues “internal passports”: The documents are similar to ID cards and are accepted in part of the former Soviet republics around Russia. Among other things, Russians can travel to Armenia, Belarus and Kyrgyzstan with “internal passports” – a possibility that many citizens have already used since the partial mobilization was announced.
The government portal did not mention whether the “internal passports” are affected by the restrictions that have now been announced.