In Russia men of conscription age are being prevented from leaving the country. Partisans described the scheme

In the aggressor country, covert restrictions on leaving the country are being recorded for men of mobilization age. On 18 August the partisan movement "Atesh" reported this on Telegram, citing agents among border service and airport staff, including in Moscow, Saint Petersburg, and Yekaterinburg.

According to the partisans, Russians of mobilization age are being sent for additional checks, causing them simply to miss their flights, even when their documents are in order and there are no official prohibitions.

"While the authorities claim that no mobilization is planned, informal instructions are already in effect at border crossings. According to the provided information, border guards have been ordered not to turn everyone back indiscriminately, but to remove from flights only a certain percentage of those departing: the authorities fear provoking a wave of panic and seek to avoid any publicity," Atesh said.

They explained that in practice airport staff simply stall under standard pretexts, question travelers about the purpose of their visit, search personal belongings, or take a long time verifying tickets. Men are held aside on the pretext of database checks, and after boarding is closed their passport is returned and they are sent home without any official documents or explanations.