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On the borders of neighbouring Georgia and Finland, 12-hour traffic jams built up as men from across the country tried to escape the draft.

It came as thousands were arrested in protests against the call-up in more than 35 cities across Russia.

Bids to escape conscription resulted in all arterial routes out of the nation becoming jammed. Planes and trains were also packed as tens of thousands of young men tried to flee to neighbouring countries.

Some on the Georgian frontier used bicycles to bypass lines of cars and evade a ban on crossing on foot.

One man from Kaliningrad told how he would do anything to avoid being drafted: “I will break my arm, my leg, I will go to prison, anything to avoid this whole thing,” he said.

Georgia is one of the few neighbours Russians can enter without a visa. Finland, which shares an 800- mile border with Russia and does require a visa for travel, also reported an increase in traffic overnight – but said it was at a manageable level.

Other destinations reachable by air – such as Istanbul, Belgrade or Dubai – have seen ticket prices skyrocket, with some destinations sold out.

Meanwhile, Germany incensed Putin by announcing it will welcome Russians trying to flee the draft after the Kremlin leader’s call to arms.

Berlin’s interior minister Nancy Faeser said deserters threatened by “severe repression” would receive protection on a case-by-case basis, following security checks.

But Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and the Czech Republic said they would not offer fleeing Russians refuge.

Putin’s call-up has sparked protests in major Russian cities including Moscow and St Petersburg – the Kremlin tyrant’s home city – resulting in more than 1,000 arrests during clashes with police.

Some of those detained for protesting have been handed draft papers while in custody. 

However, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said doing so was not illegal.

But during his nightly address to Ukrainians, President Volodymyr Zelensky urged Russians to resist the mobilisation. Referring to more than 70,000 Russian deaths in the war so far, he said: “Want more? No? Then protest. Fight back. Run away. Or surrender to Ukrainian captivity.”

In a briefing, the UK’s Ministry of Defence said Putin was taking huge political risks to generate more combat power. “The move is effectively an admission that Russia has exhausted its supply of willing volunteers to fight in Ukraine,” it said.

Meanwhile, in Ukraine’s frontline village of Lebyazhe in the Kharkiv region, residents piled UN food parcels onto bicycles. The rations hold 26lb of basic provisions, enough to feed one person for one month. 

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