After Putin orders to call up reservists, flights out of Russia sell out

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After President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday ordered Russia's first mobilisation since World War II, one-way flights out of the country were surging in price and selling out fast.

Putin's orders come amid Moscow believed to have suffered a major battlefield reversal in Ukraine. The mobilisation is termed as an attempt to turn the military tide in what he has cast as a defining East-West clash.

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Russia has ordered the immediate call-up of 300,000 reservists. Notably, this is a partial call-up as Russia's defence minister says that the nation has a reserve force of 25 million people.

After the announcement, Google Trends data showed an increase in the demand for direct flights from Moscow. There was a spike in searches for Aviasales, which is Russia's most popular flight-booking site.

Aviasales data also showed that the direct flights from Moscow to Istanbul in Turkey and Yerevan in Armenia were sold out on Wednesday. Notably, both destinations allow Russians to enter without a visa.

Reuters report mentioned that some routes with stopovers, including those from Moscow to Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, were also unavailable.

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According to the Google Flights data, one-way fares to Turkey shot up to almost 70,000 roubles ($1,150), compared with a little over 22,000 roubles a week ago.

According to Russian legislation, men and women aged from 18 to 60 years old can theoretically be called up as reservists, depending on their rank.

(With inputs from agencies)

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