According to a Russian exile media outlet, after conducting its pseudo-referendums in Ukraine, Russia wants to close the borders to men who are of mobilization age. Putin could announce the union of the regions as early as Thursday.
According to a report by the Russian exile media Meduza, the Russian authorities are planning to close the borders to potential recruits. The news site, based in Riga, Latvia, cites a source close to the Russian presidential administration.
A second source told Meduza that the borders would be closed after "referendums" currently taking place in Ukraine's Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia regions. These mock votes end on Tuesday evening.
According to the report, there will then be a kind of "exit visa" without which it would not be possible for men of military age to leave the country. In order to obtain such a visa, the men concerned would have to obtain permission from their military agency.
Russia's ruler Vladimir Putin announced the mobilization last Wednesday. Officially, it is a partial mobilization with which up to 300,000 reservists are to be sent to the front in Ukraine. However, the online branch of the newspaper "Novaya Gazeta", which is also banned in Russia and also produced in Riga, reported that the aim was to mobilize one million recruits. The Kremlin denied this report.
The referendums in Ukraine violate international law and their implementation has nothing to do with democratic principles. According to Ukrainian reports, voters are visited by soldiers to cast their ballots.
As early as Thursday, the Russian parliament could discuss bills for the incorporation of the four regions in which Russia is currently staging referendums. The Russian news agency Ria Novosti, citing a source from parliament, reports that on Friday there will be "a protocol meeting" at which Putin could speak.
