Number of Russians crossing border has ‘intensified’ after Putin’s mobilisation order, Finland says

‘The number has clearly picked up,’ says one official

The number of Russians crossing the Finnish border “intensified” overnight after Vladimir Putin’s dramatic announcement that Moscow would begin military mobilisation for the war in Ukraine, officials in Helsinki said.

The Finnish border guard’s head of international affairs, Matti Pitkaniitty, told Reuters that 4,824 Russians had arrived in Finland via the eastern border on Wednesday, up from 3,133 on the same day a week earlier.

On Wednesday there were reports of flights to countries including Turkey and Georgia selling out after the Russian leader spoke.