Over 200,000 Russians flee to Kazakhstan since partial mobilization: Kazakh official

By Meiramgul Kussainova

ASTANA, Kazakhstan (AA) – Over 200,000 Russian nationals have entered Kazakhstan since the announcement of partial mobilization on Sept. 21 in Russia, a Kazakh official said on Tuesday.

"In the meantime, 147,000 Russian citizens have left the country, while 68 people have applied for Kazakhstan citizenship," Kazakhstan's Interior Minister Marat Akhmetzhanov told reporters after the weekly Cabinet meeting.

Last month, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a partial military mobilization, calling for up to 300,000 reservists to be deployed to Ukraine, a move seen as an escalation of the war that began on Feb. 24.

Akhmetzhanov said that Kazakh authorities reported an increase in crossings into the country after the declaration of partial mobilization in Russia. “As of yesterday, the border crossing points have returned to their old working course,” he said.

"On Monday, 7,000 Russian citizens arrived in Kazakhstan, while 11,000 Russian citizens left the country," he said, adding that the inflow of passengers at the border crossing point has recently decreased.

Meanwhile, Kazakhstan's Minister of Digital Development, Innovations, and Aerospace Industry Mussin Bagdat said nearly 70,000 Russian citizens have received the individual identification number specified for foreigners since Sept. 21.

Bagdat noted that Russian citizens are given individual identification numbers not only to open a bank account but also to control the process by which they stay in the country.

*Writing by Zehra Nur Duz