Russia Facing 'Brain Drain' and Labor Shortage as Men Flee, U.K. Says

Russia is likely facing a "brain drain" and a labor shortage amid a mass exodus of men fleeing Vladimir Putin's partial mobilization, the British Ministry of Defense said on Thursday.

The British defense department's daily intelligence update said in the seven days since Putin announced his partial mobilization, there has been a considerable exodus of Russians seeking to evade call-up.

While exact figures are unclear, the number of people who have already escaped from mobilization in Russia likely exceeds the total number of those who were used for the war against Ukraine when it began in February, the defense ministry assessed.

"When combined with those reservists who are being mobilised, the domestic economic impact of reduced availability of labour, and the acceleration of 'brain drain' is likely to become increasingly significant," the U.K. ministry said in its daily report.

Many citizens have attempted to flee the country by car, train and plane to Russia's neighboring nations since September 21.

Long lines of traffic have been seen near Russia's borders with multiple neighboring countries, including Georgia, which saw a nearly 10-mile build-up of vehicles on Tuesday, according to Maxar Technologies, a U.S. company that created satellite imagery of the traffic line.

An earlier search by Newsweek found that six miles of traffic had built up at Russia's border with Georgia, the morning after Putin announced a partial military mobilization.

Anticipating an influx of Russians fleeing the country due to Putin's decree, Latvia declared a state of emergency near its border with Russia on Wednesday. It said the state of emergency has been imposed "due to the mobilization announced in Russia."

The Latvian government said that through December, the emergency order would be in place at regions of the country bordering Russia's Pskov region, as well as airports, border crossing points, ports and railways.

Analysis by Bloomberg suggests that as many as 200,000 Russians fled the country after Putin and defense officials said up to 300,000 reservists would be called up to fight in Ukraine.

There have been multiple reports where those who are meant to be exempt from the order have been handed summons to serve.

Vyacheslav Gladkov, governor of the Belgorod region, which is located near the Russian border with Ukraine, said Wednesday that Russian students were mistakenly included in the initial conscription efforts during the first days following Putin's partial mobilization order.

And in a separate incident last week, there was an apparent attempt to draft students at Buryat State University in Ulan-Ude, the capital of the Siberian republic of Buryatia.

Acting military commissar of Russia's Magadan region, Lieutenant Colonel Yevgeny Derkach, resigned this week over mobilization errors, state-run news outlet Lenta reported.

Newsweek has contacted Russia's foreign ministry for comment.