Estonia will not give asylum to Russians who are trying to avoid mobilization, Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said in an interview with CNN.
“Every citizen is responsible for the deeds of his country, and the citizens of Russia are no exception. Therefore, we do not give asylum to Russian men fleeing their country. They must oppose the war,” Kallas said.
Also, Estonia will not let back Russian citizens who go to fight against Ukraine. Including those who have a permanent residence permit in Estonia, said Vice Chancellor of the Estonian Ministry of Internal Affairs Veiko Kommusaar.
He explained that Estonia cannot prevent Russian citizens from leaving the country, but if it becomes known that they fought on the territory of Ukraine, they will not be allowed back.
Kallas, in turn, added that violators will face imprisonment for up to five years, the revocation of a residence permit, naturalized citizens can be deprived of Estonian citizenship.
“If any of the citizens of Russia living in Estonia is thinking about going to fight on the side of Russia, then let me remind you that this is a criminal offense. We will not forgive this,” Kaya Kallas stressed.
The day before, Latvian Foreign Minister Edgar Rinkevich said that Russians evading mobilization would not be issued humanitarian visas "for security reasons."
Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan also warned their citizens about criminal liability under the article “mercenarism”. In response to this, the Human Rights Council under the President of Russia proposed to make compulsory military service for citizens of these countries who have recently received Russian citizenship, and in case of refusal, to deprive entire families of citizenship.