The Kremlin denied reports that between 700,000 and a million people fled Russia amid the mobilization. Presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov refused to confirm Forbes data, which the publication published with reference to sources close to the authorities, writes Interfax.

“It looks like some kind of duck. I don’t even know what the Russian publishing house Forbes is. Is it published or not, is there a publishing house at all, ”Peskov commented on the publication.

He urged not to take such materials seriously. How many Russians actually left the country due to mobilization, Peskov does not know.

“I don’t have exact numbers. Of course, they are far from being what this report claims,” the Kremlin spokesman said.

Two weeks after the announcement of mobilization in Russia, up to a million people could have left the country, according to a Forbes source familiar with the Kremlin’s assessment. Another interlocutor of the publication in the presidential administration said about 600-700 thousand people. Both sources acknowledge that the exact number of those fleeing the mobilization is unlikely to be known: most cross the border with tourist visas, and it is not clear whether they will return.

On Tuesday, October 4, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu reported that more than 200,000 people had been drafted into the army since September 21. In total, according to the announced plans of the Ministry of Defense, mobilization should affect 300,000 citizens. This number may increase: the paragraph of the presidential decree, which names the number of those to be called up, is classified. The Kremlin denied suggestions that up to a million Russians could be drafted into the war.