Escaping Putin’s Russia: ‘We were worried he could be drafted any time’

Anna, a Russian energy sector worker, describes how her husband fled Russia for Kazakhstan following Putin’s mobilisation announcement and explains why the couple have decided to make a new life in Turkey:

“My husband left Russia for Kazakhstan five days after Putin’s mobilisation announcement with just a backpack carrying his toothbrush, warm clothes, peanuts, chocolate bars and water.

“We had been against the war from the beginning, attending anti-war protests in Moscow but after the partial mobilisation, my husband started looking for a way to leave – we were worried he could be drafted at any time because he has an engineering background. Needing him for military purposes was a horrible thought for us.

“During his 24-hour journey to Kazakhstan, he ate just one Snickers bar. He was too nervous, scared he wouldn’t be let through. I was on the phone to him all the time – I felt like I was there with him. It was very stressful for both of us. He also took his work laptop – he works remotely and his employer doesn’t know he’s left Russia.

“Dmitriy arranged to cross the border into Kazakhstan with a group of men he met via Telegram, by flying from Moscow to Samara [a city about 125 miles from the border]. Normally, a direct flight is around $60 (£53); at the time it was $900. But he managed to fly via Volgograd for about $175.

“They shared a three-hour taxi from Samara to the border, which cost them $200 each and the driver said he would take them all the way, but it wasn’t possible due to trucks blocking the road. There was meant to be a separate line for trucks, but it all got mixed up and things got violent – one guy’s windshield was smashed. They ended up having to walk the remaining distance – 30km [18 miles] – for six hours along the side of the road in the mud and the cold.

“At the border, it was almost all [Russian] men – and volunteers from a Kazakh border town saved the day by cooking food for them. It was late and very cold and Dmitriy paid a driver $200 to get him across the border. It took 12 hours. The driver ended up taking a total of six people – it was a great money-making opportunity and as the night went on, the price to cross the border by car rose to $1,000.

“Now he’s in a hotel in Uralsk and plans to fly to Turkey in the next couple of weeks – flights out of Kazakhstan were so expensive that it was cheaper to stay in a hotel there for three weeks than to fly immediately. He is making friends there. People are happy to meet fellow Russians. Everyone is friendly but also depressed, trying to keep it together.

“One man told Dmitriy that when he queued to cross the border into Kazakhstan … people threw mud and stones at them. They were so angry that people were fleeing while their sons are sent to fight. He also said some women with a Russian flag drove by the queue, calling all the men cowards.

“My mother is terrified about what’s happening in Russia but said she will stay because my grandmother is unwell. My mother isn’t too happy with me leaving, but understands this country isn’t for me when I can go to jail for my views.

“I’m flying to Turkey soon. Our plan is to first go to Alanya [on the south coast of Turkey] where a relative is – we sold their flat in Moscow recently to buy a flat there. There are many Russians living there. In the meantime, I’m selling our stuff on the Russian version of eBay. I’ve got a whole room filled with boxes that Dmitriy’s relative left behind.

“I have a cat, too, and I don’t know what to do with it – my mother already has three cats and a dog and doesn’t want to take it in. I’ve heard there’s a horrible problem with people abandoning pets.

“Every day my husband searches for a new remote job, as he won’t be able to stay in his current one when living outside Russia. He’s searching for an apartment in Turkey for us; we’re planning to move to Mersin, which is less touristy and cheaper than Alanya.

“We’ve been to Turkey before but only as tourists. I’ve never considered moving there but after 24 February we realised Europe is now closed to us – you can’t get a visa quickly any more. The options were Serbia and Turkey. I don’t like the fact that Serbia likes Putin; I don’t like [the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip] Erdoğan either but at least he’s not as pro-Putin.

“Unfortunately lots of my friends believe our government is doing things right. Most of my and my husband’s friends didn’t support the opinion that this war is completely Russia’s fault. They either didn’t care, blamed the ‘collective west’, or just thought that everything would be over in a couple of months, including Russia’s isolation. Since mobilisation, most of them are super scared – they have finally opened their eyes.

“I had an opportunity to leave Russia before the war – I worked in the Czech Republic for a while, but decided to return. I wanted to be here with my family. There’s lots of good here and I know the people aren’t worse than in any other country – it’s my home.

“Every day I’m here I’m in pain, and I can’t be without my husband. But I’m hoping we will be able to come back within two years.”

• Names have been changed