May 17, 2025
Sergei and Marina were building a new life in California after protesting the Ukraine war. But Sergei was arrested during a routine check-in
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Sergei and Marina were building a new life in California after protesting the Ukraine war. But Sergei was arrested during a routine check-in
Many Russians who can afford it have fled to nearby countries since Russia invaded Ukraine.
Not all Russians support Putin’s war in Ukraine. In fact, many are leaving the country.
This exodus is going to hurt Russia because those able to leave tend to be IT workers and young professionals. And the number leaving Russia is considerable.
According to one estimate by a Russian economist, as many as 200,000 Russians have left their country since the start of the war.
Belarusians are on the move too, fleeing repression and the Western sanctions imposed on authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko's government for collaborating with Russia's Vladimir Putin.
That has prompted prices to surge on last-minute flights and rental accommodation in the main host cities, such as Istanbul and Armenia's capital, Yerevan.
Because many countries have closed their airspace to Russian aircraft, there are a limited number of places these Russians can flee to directly.
Many of the new emigres are tech industry professionals who can work remotely. A video games developer I met at a cafe in Tbilisi told me that he and most people he knew disagreed with Russian policy and they knew now that any protest would be violently suppressed.
"The only way we can protest is to leave the country, take our skills and money with us. Almost everyone in our circle has made a similar decision," said Igor (not his real name).
If any of these Russian tech refugees have inside knowledge regarding the Russian government, Western intelligence services would probably love to interview them.
Even before Putin began his war of aggression, Russians were getting interested in leaving their country.
Also, when Russians flee their country they are more likely to hear honestly reported news about Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. When they call or email their friends and families back in Russia they can report things back to them which currently aren’t being reported on Putin-controlled news in Russia. The folks back in Russia currently know little about the high death rate of Russian troops and the war crimes which Putin is committing.
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It has been reported that thousands of Russian men are fleeing their country in order to avoid being conscripted into the army. Miles long queues of cars have built up at the border into Georgia. This comes on top of the tens of thousands of young Russians and intellectuals who had already left their country in the months since the invasion of Ukraine, many of whom were reported to have travelled to Turkey and Georgia. The wells of sympathy in surrounding countries seems to have run dry, though. The latest emigres are receiving a less than warm welcome. There is suspicion that those leaving Russia now are not opposed to...
Speaking at a Nordic leaders' summit, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Kremlin critics should be able to flee Russia without added complication, as several European countries eye an EU visa ban for Russian citizens.