Many Russian draft dodgers plan to stay abroad

STORY: Nikolai Salnikov fled Vladimir Putin's military mobilization for the Armenian capital, Yerevan.

Now the IT worker sees no point returning to Russia.

Tens of thousands of military-age Russian men have taken their chances abroad rather than risk being conscripted and sent to Ukraine.

Salnikov fled two days after the Russian president declared his "partial mobilization" in late September.

"Many of my friends left. Only a couple of them are still in Russia. Some people came here, some went to Kazakhstan, some to Uzbekistan - all over the CIS. In general, they will all be leaving Russia somehow; it's not clear what the future holds for Russia."

Putin said this month the mobilization would soon be over.

The draft, to cope with a lack of manpower amid a string of defeats in Ukraine, has been unpopular and chaotic.

But the emigres Reuters spoke to remained concerned, and believed ever harsher measures are coming.

Polina Krasnobayeva, also an IT worker, said ending the draft might usher in calm, but it made little difference.

"But right now I personally have minimal trust in the authorities, so I'm not considering returning to Russia at this point. I think even if mobilization ended, it would still be an unsafe time right now - we'd only be able to plan for the very near future. I have no feeling that my fate, as a Russian citizen, or my husband's fate have any meaning for those who are making the decisions."

Armenia allows Russians to enter without an international passport and stay without a visa for up to six months, so it's one of the most popular destinations for the new wave of emigres.

Many of them are young skilled professionals, and Yerevan's central bank has upgraded its GDP projections because of the influx.

For Georgiy Trubnikov, there's only one way Russia can reverse the drain.

"There is definitely a way, just not under the current leadership. The question is when that leadership will change, how long it will take to restore the economy, and whether the new leadership has the will to implement liberal reforms. If it does not happen, we're not interested in returning to Russia."

Armenia has not made public how many Russians have arrived.

But Kazahkstan and Georgia, also popular destinations, each say they've received tens of thousands of Russians since the draft came in.