Armenia says it’s ready to accept Russians if Moscow launches new mobilisation drive

Armenia is prepared to take in fleeing Russians if their government launches a new wave of mobilisation, Armenian Security Council Secretary Alen Simonyan said in an interview with independent Russian outlet TV Rain on Tuesday.

Simonyan said that Russian citizens would not face additional screening at border crossings and that Armenian authorities stood ready to assist Russians who leave their country if needed.

“As you know, people can come to us from Russia without a passport,” he said. “To any Russian, I can only say: welcome to Armenia. Here, we love everyone, we respect everyone. And they will find here everything they hoped to find by coming to Armenia. And they can go back to Russia whenever it’s convenient for them.”

His comments come amid widespread concern that Russia could launch a new mobilisation drive after its parliamentary elections in September. In early August, the Wall Street Journal quoted US officials as saying the Kremlin was “weighing the possibility” of launching a new mobilisation in the autumn. And earlier this week, the newspaper reported that Russia’s military had conducted mobilisation planning drills in the Kaliningrad exclave.