Poland said on Friday it would not grant asylum to Russians trying to escape a partial mobilization in their country, after some young Russians rushed to the borders to avoid measures announced by President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday.

On the Polish borderPhoto: Serhii Bobiliev / TASS / Profimedia

“We will not allow a group of Russians to enter Poland in general, even those who claim to be fleeing mobilization,” Polish Deputy Interior Minister Maciej Wasik told public radio on Friday, according to DPA and Agerpres.

Citing Poland’s national security, he said the border would not be opened to help the Russians.

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Only in exceptional cases, when a Russian citizen can prove that he is being tortured or persecuted for political reasons in Russia, will the rules of asylum in Poland apply and that person will be able to receive protection, Wasik added.

An emergency meeting will be held in Brussels on Monday to coordinate at the European Union level the problem of Russian citizens trying to enter EU countries to avoid the order for partial mobilization in their country.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a “partial mobilization” of reservists on Wednesday morning, paving the way for a major escalation in the war in Ukraine as Moscow loses ground on the battlefield. The head of the Kremlin warned that Russia is ready to use “all its means of protection”, including nuclear, to “defend itself”.

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