Ukrainian defense minister says Russia, Belarus to close borders soon

December 31, BPN. “In early January, the Russian authorities will close the borders for men, then declare martial law and begin another wave of mobilization. The borders will also be closed in Belarus,” Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said in a YouTube address to Russian citizens on December 30.

It is unclear whether he meant that draft-age Russians will be barred from fleeing to Belarus or from fleeing via Belarus, or both. During the first wave of enrollment, which started on September 21, some of the Russians hid in Belarus to avoid going to war.

At a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Sochi on September 26, Alaksandr Łukašenka made it clear that he was unconcerned about the exodus of Russians: “We see them… Russia has 25 million potential enlistees. Let 30,000 or 50,000 people run away. Had they stayed, would they have been loyal? Let them run. I do not know how you feel about it, but I was not particularly worried when a few thousand left in 2020.”