In September 2022, Arseny, a young IT worker from Moscow, announced a partial mobilization of young men to serve on Ukraine’s front lines.
“On the day of the mobilisation, my mother called at about 12 o’clock”, he remembered.
“I woke up late and hadn’t gone to work yet. Everyone was reading the news: On the border with Georgia, for example, there was a long queue and people were selling their cars. There was a general panic, and I flew to Yerevan”.
After the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, there were estimates of how many Russians who left their home. However, it’s clear that many have since made their way back home.
After traveling for more than a year before returning, Arseny made his return in December 2023.
Anastasia Burakova, a human rights lawyer and the founder of an antiwar initiative, Kovcheg (the Ark), told Al Jazeera, that while the group does not have exact numbers, “maybe about two million people left the country”.
However, many of them return because it’s extremely challenging for those who have no prior international cooperation experience or foreign language experience, she said.
Burakova’s group provides legal and psychological assistance, language courses, and temporary accommodation for Russian emigres. Additionally, it organizes foreign opposition activities.
She said, “For the moment, I can say that close to one million people have resided abroad since the start of the war.”
“There were two huge waves of immigration. The first wave, which included mostly those who wanted to speak out in public and faced political persecution, occurred shortly after the war started. Additionally, the second wave of demobilization was made public. The second wave was not pro-war]but] mostly apolitical, staying out of politics and not following the news and so on”.
Many of those who left are well-educated and relatively privileged, therefore able to continue working remotely. Their homeland was suffering as a result of the flow.
Artur (not his real name), another IT worker from St Petersburg, left immediately after Putin’s announcement of what Russia terms its “special military operation” in Ukraine on February 24, 2022.
“The war began unexpectedly, and it was very difficult to predict what the immediate consequences would be”, he said.
It seemed to me that this was generally a wise decision because I had an open Schengen visa and the border with Finland was not yet closed: to leave for the EU and observe what was happening there. Fortunately, I had a remote job and savings in cryptocurrency, which allowed me to leave literally in one day”.
Artur spent a few months in St. Peterburg preparing for a more permanent departure. Then mobilisation was announced, so he hurriedly left again for Belgrade, the Serbian capital. He had access to enough money to get by without opening a bank account.
But for this new diaspora, there were immediate challenges.
Many nations froze Russian citizens, barring exceptions like humanitarian visas or asylum, which were cumbersome to enter.
“A lot of people with an antiwar stance stayed in non-visa countries as in the South Caucasus, Black Sea region and Balkans, and unfortunately, the situation there has become worse”, Burakova said.
“The Kremlin is quite active in places like Georgia, Serbia, and undoubtedly Central Asia,” the Kremlin said. And in these countries, I can’t say that it’s 100 percent safe for Russian exiles”.
Complicating the situation, Burakova said, is that a majority of Russians do not have both their internal and external passports, which are needed for overseas travel.
Only a few other former Soviet republics are permitted to travel with the internal passport, which acts like a national ID card.
Those travelling further afield endured further problems, such as language barriers, employment and discrimination. Because Armenia and Israel are fighting with Azerbaijan and Gaza, respectively, those who moved there found themselves uncomfortably close to another warzone.
After heading to Armenia’s Yerevan, Arseny moved to Serbia, where locals generally hold a positive view of Russians. But he eventually lost his job.
“I didn’t work for six months, and I was running out of money”, he explained.
“When I started looking for a job, there were some personal factors. I discovered that I could work somewhere in Europe, probably in a subpar company. In Russia, it was very easy for me to find a job”.
In September 2023, he made a second appearance.
Meanwhile in Belgrade, Artur missed his friends, family and cat. He claimed that he found it difficult to pay for housing and that he later made the decision to follow his other friends in Belgrade as they slowly began to return to Russia.
He said, “I had no faith that Putin would put an end to the conflict because of a quick wave of emigration, and that the war could continue for years under the strictest sanctions,” without putting too much of a strain on the regime.
Back home, there was lessening of the initial apprehension.
“For a non-public person there is no particular risk of repression”, Artur argued.
“That is, it exists, but there haven’t been many show trials to seriously think that it will somehow affect you. I wouldn’t, of course, shout my opinions everywhere, but I’ve never renounced them. I can always argue that I’ve always been opposed to war and don’t want to hear anything that needs to be sucked up.
Artur acknowledged that some of his friends oppose Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and speaking with them has become awkward. However, he continues to try to find common ground unless they openly oppose war crimes.
“In general, I can say that it is bearable. Prices have risen sharply in recent years, as everywhere, and even more so, but it has become much more comfortable in everyday life than it was in Serbia”, he said.
Source: Aljazeera
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