Ukraine Russia war latest: Putin’s partial mobilisation sparks exodus

Google Trends data shows a spike in searches for Russia’s most popular website for buying flights. Reported by Emily Atkinson:

Police in Germany have raided properties linked to Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov, a former shareholder of Arsenal football club who also had links to Everton.

The Munich state prosecutor said extensive raids were carried out at the residences of the Russian national and four other suspects. Media reports claim that raids have been carried out on other Usmanov properties across Germany.

Authorities searched 24 properties in four states, including Bavaria, involving 250 officers in the operation, prosecutors said.

German broadcasters BR and MDR reported that one of the targets was Usmanov’s villa on Lake Tegernsee in the southern state.

Ukraine is beginning to destroy 12,000 square km (4,633 square miles) of territory in the eastern Kharkiv region retaken from Russian control, an emergency services official said.

Roman Primus also told a briefing that it could take years to eradicate an area larger than the state of Qatar, and that the US, Britain and Canada would help with the task.

Prices for flights out of Moscow have skyrocketed as people rush to leave the country under new partial consolidation orders.

freedom A review of ticketing options on the Aviasales website found that the cheapest flight to Yerevan by 11am would set passengers back exactly 82,000 rubles (£1,200), compared to 8900 rubles (£130) for the same ticket at the ball park yesterday.

The cheapest flight to Istanbul – a nine-hour trip that requires a stopover in Antalya – is 100,600 rubles (equivalent to around £1500).

Some routes with stopovers from Moscow to Tbilisi were also unavailable, while the cheapest flights from the capital to Dubai cost more than 300,000 rubles ($5,000).

Tickets for one-way flights from Russia sold out quickly after President Vladimir Putin ordered a partial mobilization of Moscow’s reserves in a major escalation of his war against Ukraine.

The announcement raised fears that some men of fighting age would not be allowed to leave the country.

Google Trends data shows a spike in searches for Aviasales, Russia’s most popular website for buying flights.

Direct flights from Moscow to Istanbul, Turkey, and Yerevan, Armenia, both destinations that allow Russians to enter without a visa, sold out on Wednesday, according to data on the site.

Russia’s long-feared attack on Ukraine has been raging since Vladimir Putin announced his “special military operation” against the country as early as February 24, with the Russian leader baselessly proclaiming the need to “demilitarize and de-Nazify.” After eight years of fighting in the neighboring state of Donbas.

What are the main factors behind the conflict, where did it start and how can the crisis unfold? Joe Somerlad And Thomas Kingsley Report:

Russia will try to destroy Ukraine and change its borders, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said, commenting on the partial demobilization order announced by President Vladimir Putin.

“We will do everything we can with our allies, so that NATO supports Ukraine more so that it can defend itself,” Morawiecki said, calling for more help for Kiev from Western allies.

Bordering Russia on NATO’s eastern flank, the peoples of Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia are nervously watching events in Ukraine as leaders in each country call for support from the international community.

Bell True Reports from Vilnius and the ‘Suwalki gap’: