As thousands of Russians try to flee the country to escape the partial mobilization of civilians into the military, Ukraine’s president late Friday urged those who are conscripted to “sabotage any enemy activity.”Addressing Ukrainians in Russian-occupied regions, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a video address that his countrymen should “hide” from mobilization and “avoid summons” of military commanders.
His comments came three days after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a partial mobilization of reservists.
One woman, 23, said she booked seats on a flight to Kyrgyzstan with her husband, 24, an hour after Putin made his mobilization announcement.
NBC News agreed not to name the couple because they fear repercussions by Russian authorities for speaking to foreign media.
After crossing into Georgia, he told The Associated Press that he did "not very much like," what Russia was doing in Ukraine.