One of Russia's main allies closed a visa loophole used by Russians fleeing conscription to fight in Ukraine

• Russians will no longer be able to stay in Kazakhstan indefinitely, Reuters said.
• It's ending a program allowing Russians to remain indefinitely if they renew their visas every 90 days.

Kazakhstan is ending a program which is expected to make it more difficult for Russians fleeing conscription and the fallout from Russia's invasion of Ukraine to stay in the Central Asian country indefinitely.

Under the new rules, people from Russia and other neighboring nations will no longer be able to reset the 90-day period for visa-free stay by leaving then coming straight back.

More than 100,000 Russians, many of them men fleeing conscription to fight in Ukraine, fled to Kazakhstan, according to reports. The nation shares a large border with Russia and Russian is widely spoken there.

The move signals that the Kazakh government is seeking a tighter grip over immigration, with the surge in entries from Russian contributing to soaring inflation, Reuters reported.

Many Russians have used Kazakhstan as a staging post to move on to other countries, and the rule change means that those who remain will have to apply for a residency visa and meet its criteria.

The government in Kazakhstan has refused to back Russia's invasion of Ukraine, straining ties with the Kremlin.

Many Russians have also fled to countries in Europe, where some have claimed asylum, and places including Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.

Russia said in October that its initial draft of 300,000 men to fight in Ukraine was complete, with no more planned. Ukraine has alleged that another wave is coming, though its prediction that this would begin on January 15 did not come true.