Desperate Russians fleeing Putin’s call-up orders sail to South Korea

In a desperate bid to avoid being called up to fight in Ukraine, more than 20 Russians sailed in yachts from North Pacific ports to South Korea, but most have been refused entry, according to reports.

Hundreds of thousands of Russians are reported to have fled their homeland since Vladimir Putin ordered a military mobilisation last month in the face of losses on the frontline of his invasion.

Russians trying to avoid the draft have mostly crossed over to neighbouring countries such as Finland, Georgia and Kazakhstan.

This might be the most imaginative way anyone has tried to flee though.

South Korean broadcaster KBS has reported that at least 21 Russians arrived on yachts to ports in the south of the country on Tuesday.

Only two were granted entry, while others were refused as authorities deemed their purpose “ambiguous”.

KBS reported that three yachts had docked in the southeastern port city of Pohang over the past several days, mostly carrying Russian men in their 20s or 30s.

One of the yachts had nine Russian men and one woman aboard, while a smaller vessel had four men aboard, it said. An official at Pohang’s coast guard declined to comment.

A coastguard official told Reuters that a yacht carrying five Russian men departed on Tuesday from the South Korean island of Ulleung, having arrived there on 30 September after sailing from the eastern Russian city of Vladivostok.

The official said the yacht was “taking cover from bad weather” and the people aboard had received food and other aid, but he declined to specify why they were not allowed into the country.

A justice ministry official said he did not have details about the yacht cases, but Russians are in general allowed to enter the country without a visa as long as they obtain prior approval via South Korea‘s electronic travel authorisation system.

Russian media have estimated that 700,000 people have fled since mobilisation was announced on 21 September.

The Kremlin denies this but has not provided its own figure.

Russia’s defence ministry said 200,000 reservists had been conscripted by last week.