Kazakhstan Accepts Russian Citizens Following Mobilization Announcement

A view of a Kazakhstan checkpoint along the Russia-Kazakhstan border state border (Wikimedia Commons).

After Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on September 21 his plan to draft civilians for the Russian army, many of the nation’s men are seeking to flee the country to avoid military service. Countries who share a border with Russia are now faced with the challenge of addressing the influx of those seeking refuge from the draft. Kazakhstan has made the decision to welcome these migrants, vowing their safety.

Kazakhstan’s Minister of Internal Affairs reports that since Putin’s announcement of partial mobilization 200,000 Russian citizens have crossed the border into Kazakhstan. Naturally, most of these migrants  are men. It is believed that so many Russians have been drawn to Kazakhstan because of its accessibility. The Russia-Kazakhstan border is the second longest land border in the world.  Furthermore, both countries are members of the Eurasian Economic Union which eases the process of crossing the border. 

The Eurasian Economic Union was established in 2015 as a free trade agreement between five former members of the Soviet Union — Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan.  The goal of the union is to foster economic cooperation among member states. The treaty on the Eurasian Economic Union ensures free movement of persons among member nations. Section XXVI of the treaty on the Eurasian Economic Union establishes that citizens of member states with valid identification documents are exempt from the use of migration cards if they would normally be required. Citizens of a member state are also able to stay in another member state for 30 days without obligation to register with the state, and an additional 60 after registering. This means that Russians with a valid state ID are allowed to enter Kazakhstan without further documentation, including a travel passport.

Many Russians applied for personal identification numbers after crossing the border to Kazakhstan. The Kazakh Digital Development Ministry reported that as of October 4, over 70,000 Russians had received them. Receiving a personal identification card makes it possible to work and open bank accounts in Kazakhstan. 

Other bordering countries have acted to bar or limit the entry of Russian citizens, even those with tourist visas, including both Georgia and Finland, who both saw decreased numbers of Russians entering after the implementation of restrictions. Despite the lack of restrictions introduced by the Kazakh government, the number of Russian citizens crossing the border has also decreased after the original uptick. 

Some Kazakhs fear the influx of Russians will cause inflation, especially in rental prices as property owners experiment with rent increases among higher demand. Despite these concerns, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev called the situation “a political and humanitarian matter” that Russians “were forced to leave by the desperate situation” and maintained that Kazakhstan “must take care of them and ensure their safety.”