Record Russian departures to Georgia, Armenia and Serbia amid mobilization fears

Record departures in the third quarter

Border statistics from Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) show record numbers of Russians crossing into Georgia, Armenia and Serbia in the third quarter of 2026. The independent portal Wiorstka published the figures on Monday, 9 November, citing FSB Border Service data. According to the portal, 660,000 people left for Georgia between July and September, which is 43,000 more than in the same period of last year, when the previous record was set. Armenia, Georgia and Serbia together saw the highest number of arriving travellers in 17 years, according to the reporting.

Georgia (July to September)660,000

Armenia (third quarter)402,000

Serbia (more than 64,000)64,000

Georgia (July to September)

660000 people

Armenia (third quarter)

402000 people

Serbia (more than 64,000)

64000 people

Data from the article text

Armenia and Serbia follow the same trend

Armenia received 402,000 Russian travellers in the third quarter, up from 344,000 a year earlier. The Moscow Times noted that no quarter since 2010 has produced a higher figure for Armenia. Serbia drew more than 64,000 Russians between July and September, roughly 14,000 more than in the same months of 2025. The rise in traffic to the three countries therefore holds across every destination in the FSB data, not only to Georgia.

Mobilization fears and the official response

The Moscow Times and other independent Russian media tie the increase to rumours that the Kremlin is preparing another wave of mobilization. Interest in leaving the country rose during the summer. In July, the number of mobilization-related queries on the Russian search engine Yandex reached its highest level since early 2023, and users searched especially for countries that admit Russians without a visa. In late July, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the Kremlin might be preparing a second mobilization wave and that Russian authorities intended to call up between 300,000 and 500,000 soldiers, according to his assessment. Russian authorities have denied that a new mobilization is necessary.

What the figures cannot show

The FSB statistics record border crossings only. They do not indicate how long travellers planned to stay abroad, so they cannot establish how many Russians chose to emigrate. The link between the record traffic and the mobilization rumours rests on the timing and on media analysis rather than on a stated motive in the data. The figures cover the third quarter of 2026 and were published as the reporting on the trend continued.