YEREVAN – Almost a year ago, when Russian troops swept into Ukraine and millions of Ukrainians fled for their lives, so too thousands of Russians gathered what they might and left Russia, fearing that the Kremlin would close the borders and impose martial law.
Some of them had long opposed the rise of authoritarianism and the invasion of Ukraine It was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Others left for economic reasons, to preserve their source of income or escape the scourge of international sanctions. Later, in September of last year, the massive military conscription ordered by Putin he put tens of thousands more Russian men to flight.
The truth is that President Vladimir Putin has unleashed a historic exodus of his own people. Initial data shows that at least 500,000 and perhaps up to a million Russians they left Russia in the year since the invasion, a surge matched only by the emigration that followed the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917 and the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
Today like yesterday those games will redefine the future of the country for generations. And that exodus might even be only in its first phase as the war does not seem to be anywhere near over, and the new Kremlin recruitment efforts and worsening economic situation will surely push many others to cross the border.
That mass exodus is adding to existing Russian expatriate communities around the world and spawning new ones.
Some fled to neighboring countries such as Armenia and Kazakhstan, through border crossings open to the Russians. Those with visas escaped to Finland, the Baltic countries and other places in Europe. Others ventured even further, to the United Arab Emirates, Israel, Thailand and Argentina, where the Government denounces that a network of “mafia organizations” is behind the wave of pregnant women who travel to give birth. And two men from the far east of Russia even got into a small boat and sailed to Alaska.
Las economic losses of the exodus are incalculable. At the end of December, the Russian Ministry of Communications reported that during 2022, 10% of workers in the technology sector left the country, and never returned. Now the Duma, the Russian parliament, is debating an incentive package to keep them coming back.
But in the Duma there is also talk of punish the russians who left stripping them of their assets in Russia. Putin called those who left “scourges” and said that his departure helps to “clean up” the country, even though some of the exiles did not oppose his government or his war.
With a government brutally crushing dissent and punishing people for criticizing the war, the dwindling remaining political opposition also faced an ill-fated decision last year: jail or exile. Most opted for exile. Activists and journalists critical of the regime now form communities in cities like Berlin and the capitals of Lithuania, Latvia and Georgia.
“This exodus is a terrible blow for Russia,” says Tamara Eidelman, a Russian historian who moved to Portugal following the invasion. “The social layer that might have changed something in the country has disappeared.”
While Ukrainian refugees were welcomed throughout the West, many countries refused the entry of the Russians because they did not know if they were friends or enemies, or whether in fact all of Russia is guilty. Some nations blocked the entry of Russians with restriction measures or by refusing to issue or renew their visas, sparking panic among many Russians already abroad, especially students.
Meanwhile, the massive arrival of Russians in countries like Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, which have long sent their own migrants to Russia, has generated political turmoil, straining ties between Moscow and the other ex-Soviet states. In those countries, the price of housing went through the roof, with the consequent fury of the local inhabitants.
Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, a former Soviet republic, is a destination for Russians with less facilities financiera, an Orthodox Christian country where Russian is the second language. On the contrary, the expensive Dubaiin the Persian Gulf, is predominantly Muslim, Arabic-speaking, and attracts richest russians who seek ostentation or commercial opportunities.
For many Russians on the run, Armenia was an unusual but easy option. It is one of the five countries of the former Soviet Union that allows the entry of Russians only by presenting their national identity document, making it a popular destination for ex-soldiers, political activists and others in need of a quick escape route
Given the shared religion and common language, they usually Russians do not suffer from animosity or social stigma. Obtaining residence permits is also easy and the cost of living is lower than in the European Union.
Yerevan has attracted thousands of IT professionals, young creatives, and working-class people, including families with children from all over Russia, who have opened new schools, bars, cafes, and formed strong support and support networks.
In the courtyard of the “Free School” for Russian children, which opened in April, Maxim, a manager of a construction company, is waiting for his 8-year-old son, Timofey. The school started with 40 students in an apartment: now there are almost 200 and they have a multi-story building in the center of the city.
Maxim only identifies himself by his first name for security reasons and says he flew to Yerevan from Volgograd to escape the conscription last September. “We left for the same reason as everyone: suddenly, in my country there was a real danger for me, and especially for my family,” dice.
The man comments that his family has adapted perfectly to life in Yerevan, where everyone speaks russian. Maxim works remotely on projects in Russia. Timofey is happy with his school and is learning Armenian. Maxim is sure that his family will not return to Russia.
“Maybe we’ll move somewhere else, even to Europe, if things start to normalize.”
At a reception shelter on the outskirts of Yerevan, Andrei, a 25-year-old former military officer from Russia’s Rostov region, says he too is adjusting to his new life, having fled the conscription. “I didn’t want to be one of the assassins in this criminal war,” says Andrei, who also identifies himself by his first name for security reasons.
Andrei works as a delivery boy and shares a modest room with two other men in a hostel set up by Kovcheg, an organization supporting Russian emigrants. “Before the war I never cared regarding politics, but following the invasion I started to find out what’s going on,” says Andrei. What is Russia doing? fills me with shame”.
Meanwhile, in a communal workspace in central Yerevan, groups of Russian activists are organizing debates, political meetings and even therapy sessions. On the walls are messages supporting Ukraine, along with the blue and white flag adopted by Putin’s opponents.
In Dubai, the Russians are everywhere: with their Dior coats and Louis Vuitton suitcases at the airports, with their impeccable suits in the malls, or recording videos for TikTok with the image of the Burj Khalifa building in the background.
Russia’s rich and powerful have long traveled to Dubai, but it was just one among many other favorite destinations. All that changed when The West closed the doors to Russia because of the war.
There are thousands of Russians who chose the United Arab Emirates as their new home, a country that did not join the Western sanctions once morest Russia and that continues to maintain direct flights to Moscow. Here the Russians enjoy a 90-day travel permit without the need for a visa and it is relatively easy to get a residence document permanent through some investment or some business.
The cost of living implies that there are neither journalists nor activists here. Dubai is a haven but also a playground for Russian tech founders, sanctioned billionaires, unsanctioned millionaires, celebrities and even influencers.
Here the Russians can still buy apartments, open bank accounts, and access the same luxury products that they used to buy in London or Paris.
“Dubai was designed so that people with money come here”, says Natalia Arkhangelskaya, who writes an influential Telegram blog focused on the Russian elite in Dubai.
By Francesca Ebel and Mary Ilyushina
Translation by Jaime Arrambide
The Washington Post
