Neither Moscow nor Minsk is offering any reliable figures on the number of Russian men who have fled into Belarus to escape mobilization, but their number is almost certainly has been larger than into any other country and their arrival, even if it is only for transit to other countries, is creating problems, according to Innokenty Kolbasov.
Russians have chosen to go to Belarus in especially large numbers, the Versiya commentator says. First, it is the easiest and cheapest place for Russians to go. Second, most Belarusians speak Russian. And third, costs are low and the availability of air tickets onward is high (versia.ru/kak-v-belorussii-vstrechayut-uexavshix-posle-obyavleniya-mobilizacii-rossiyan-formalnosti-ceny-i-rasprostranennye-problemy).
The impact of the new arrivals has been felt most dramatically in the property market, both hotels and short-term rentals and real…
