Russian Citizens Flooding Into Mongolia to Evade Conscription

Mongolia is not typically a destination for refugees. Now it is
having to figure out a policy response on the fly.
Russia's war in Ukraine has had a domino effect, creating
economic, diplomatic, and now humanitarian crises. Russian
citizens are scrambling to avoid conscription orders coming from
Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In September, Mongolia reported (https://reut.rs/3ylKvJR) an
increasing number of Russian citizens crossing the Mongolia-Russia
border and applying for temporary residency status or, in some cases,
an extension of stay.
Since late September, thousands of Russian citizens had fled into
Mongolia, seeking a temporary stay. The Mongolian Immigration
Agency reported that 6,268 Russian citizens have entered Mongolia
via the Altanbulag Border Port.
Moreover, between September 21-29, 748 Russian citizens extended
(https://bit.ly/3T3aCwY) their temporary residence status in
Mongolia. The following week, more than 1,000 people sought legal
advice and immigration counseling on applying for temporary
residency.
Mongolians recorded and posted the mass influx of Russian citizens
entering Mongolia on social media platforms. Although Mongolians
are aware of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, it is possible that
Ulaanbaatar did not expect such a sudden influx of migrants.
Mongolia is not the only destination for Russian citizens and
families fleeing the country.
In September alone, Kyrgyzstan registered the entries of about 22,000
Russian citizens. Kazakhstan recently received 200,000 Russian
citizens. There are already reports of mixed views on Almaty's
economic capability to host such a large number of refugees. Georgia,
Finland, and Norway also reported an increase in sudden Russian
migration.
The looming humanitarian crisis caused by Russians pouring across
the borders, largely into already poor neighbors, is yet another
example of the devastation caused by Russia's war against Ukraine.
Despite its vast landscape, Mongolia is not known for hosting war
refugees or accepting many immigrants. However, Mongolia has
sheltered people from war-torn countries or authoritarian regimes
in the past, albeit very much on a case-by-case basis.