Nailia Manzurina's eyes filled with tears as she recalled the moment when she and her two young sons had to separate from her husband in their native Russia. They were fleeing Russia's

military draft, which had been imposed by President Vladimir Putin in September 2022. Mikhail Manzurin, 25, qualified for the draft but disagreed with Russia's invasion of Ukraine and didn't want to be forced to serve in the military against his will, informs CNN.

The family embarked on a perilous journey, which took them through Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Dubai, Mexico, and ultimately to the United States with the help of strangers. They are part of a significant wave of Russians seeking shelter in the United States. According to US Customs and Border Protection data, nearly 22,000 Russians have tried to enter the United States through the southern border since October 2022, the first full month after the draft was announced.

Over the past six months, the number of Russian citizens encountered by American border authorities has nearly tripled, from 1,645 Russians in August 2022 to 4,509 in January. The Manzurins are among them. Ruth, a volunteer from a church in Texas, helped the family cross the border after they arrived in Mexico. She says that it's a phenomenon she started seeing about two years ago, but back then the numbers were small.

Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) at Syracuse University analyzed government data and found that the number of notices to appear issued to Russians by US immigration authorities has nearly quadrupled from August 2022 to December 2022. In December 2022, 6,991 notices to appear in immigration court were issued to Russians, compared to 1,799 in August 2022.

The increase in Russian immigrants seeking refuge in the United States is attributed to the military draft in Russia and the ongoing war in Ukraine. Many young men rushed to neighboring countries to avoid getting pulled into the fight. Those who flee their country may face a long and difficult journey to safety, often relying on strangers to help them along the way.

Nailia Manzurina says she is grateful for the help they received and that they are starting a new life in the United States. But for many others, the journey is far from over, with uncertainty and fear lingering over their future. The surge in Russian immigrants has put a strain on the already overwhelmed US immigration system, with many people facing lengthy wait times for their cases to be processed. Photo by Amyyfory, Wikimedia commons.