"My country has started partial mobilisation and I think it is negatively affecting society," said one. The guesthouse has filled up with Russians since Putin's mobilisation order, and Bat-Tur said he has already turned away dozens of requests for beds. One newly-arrived guest, who identified himself as Aleksey, said he crossed into Mongolia last weekend, leaving behind his wife and three children. "We are not afraid, but why do we have to fight in Ukraine, why?” he asked. Almost entirely dependent on Russian oil and gas, landlocked Mongolia also stands to gain from a gas pipeline that Russia plans to build across its territory to supply China.

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