Russians Deserting Homeland As Ukraine War Rages
Helsinki, March 5: Finland’s border with Russia witnesses a continuous stream of exodus with buses and cars full with people not fleeing Ukraine, but Russians leaving their motherland, says a report in BBC. Although the flow isn’t heavy, it is constant. Some people are anxious to get out of Russia because there has been a persistent rumour that President Vladimir Putin’s government might soon introduce martial law. With flights to Europe halted, the only way out of the country is by car – crossing this border – or by train, the BBC said.
BBC spoke to one young Russian woman – one among the lucky ones who had an EU visa before sanctions were announced. “People in Ukraine are our people – our family,” she told BBC. “We shouldn’t be killing them.” Would she think of going back? “Not while our dreadful government is there. It is so, so sad,” she told the BBC. “Most Russians don’t want this war, but they risk going to jail if they try to stand up to Putin,” she said. In Finland, there’s immense sympathy for people like her – just as there is for Ukraine and its inhabitants.
According to a latest opinion polls, a growing majority of Finns believe it’s time for Finland to join the NATO and access the protection that membership of the alliance would bring, the BBC reported. In Helsinki, trains from St Petersburg are coming full, carrying hundreds anxious to flee Russia. Most trains are fully booked, with ticket prices soaring, the report said. Putin launched war on Ukraine on February 24 at 5 am local time.
