Russian men flee the country. Many are showing up in Istanbul

https://www.npr.org/2022/09/26/ [login to see] /russian-men-flee-ukraine-draft-to-istanbul-turkey
Russian men continue to flee the country, by land or air, days after President Vladimir Putin's announcement to mobilize additional forces to bolster his flailing war in Ukraine.

At Istanbul's main airport, a constant stream of Russian men came through the arrivals terminal. Istanbul is a destination of choice because it is one of few places where Russians can travel to without visas, with a long history of Russian tourism.

Turkey, a member of NATO, has sought to cast itself as a neutral power broker between Moscow and Kyiv, and refused to join Western countries in economic sanctions on Russia. Since the beginning of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February, many anti-war Russians have settled here, along with refugees from Ukraine.

Flights from Russia to Turkey are sold out for the next several weeks, despite skyrocketing prices. But that hasn't stopped people from finding ways to get out, not only from Russian cities like Moscow, Sochi, Makhachkala and Yekaterinburg but also through neighboring countries Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Belarus and Georgia.