In defense of fleeing Russians

If you support Ukraine, you should oppose sending them back to fight in Putin's army.

2008: Russian military-aged men march by the thousands into Georgia¹ to neutralize it and cleave off parts of the country to become independent (wink, wink) republics.

2022: Russian military-aged men march by the thousands into Georgia to ask if they can crash their for a while until the heat dies down.

Russian men are fleeing into neighbouring Georgia to avoid being called-up to fight in a war they do not agree with following Russian President Vladimir Putin's order to mobilise hundreds of thousands of reservists for the conflict in Ukraine.

At one point on Sunday, the estimated wait to enter Georgia hit 48 hours, with more than 3,000 vehicles queuing to cross the frontier, Russian state media reported, citing local officials.

The Georgian capital Tbilisi had already seen an influx of around 40,000 Russians since Moscow invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, according to government statistics.

[…]

The exact number of people who have left Russia since Putin announced what he called a "partial mobilisation" last Wednesday is unclear. But an early picture is emerging of a substantial exodus.

Scenes such as those at the Russia-Georgia border have also taken place at crossings with Kazakhstan, Finland and Mongolia, which have all reported heavy queues. Russia has not closed its borders, and guards generally appeared to be letting people leave.

You sure picked the winning horse, Mr. Snowden.

I kind of want a sequel to this now, but only if it’s made by the “Arrested Development” people.

As a strong supporter of Ukraine in its stalwart defense against a genocidal war of conquest launched by Russia, I think Russians bugging out of the country when faced with conscription is a good thing. One less military-aged Russian man in Russia is one less military-aged Russian man in Ukraine.

Alas, the people with whom I’ve been arguing on Twitter feel differently and say they should all be sent back to bravely take down Putin themselves:

Michael MacKay @mhmck

Russians fleeing conscription are not conscientious objectors. They're instinctive imperialists, convinced all Ukrainians who believe Ukraine is a nation should die. Russians want other people to go about the business of killing Ukrainians as they fear being killed themselves.

Paul Massaro @apmassaro3

Do not let Russians fleeing mobilization into your countries. They are not refugees. They can join up and surrender or oppose the war at home

Anton Gerashchenko @Gerashchenko_en

Thank you, @PRB_Raimond, for voicing your position so clearly! Grateful to Estonia for support! I believe this is the position of all civilized countries who have realized what Russia really is.

That video shows an Estonian politician stating, in no uncertain terms, how his country feels about the much larger neighbor which occupied and annexed it for decades. It is very understandable why people in the Baltic states might not be inclined to give fleeing Russians a ticker-tape parade.

The guy on the monitor whom he’s addressing? A Russian journalist who spoke out against the war when it started, quit his job and left the country. He did what we want Russians to do, only to be scolded about how it doesn’t matter because he’s Russian.

Times like this, I’m reminded of the old saying that Europe’s problem is too much history packed into too little geography.