Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, tens of thousands of people have also fled abroad from Russia. Three countries are particularly popular with Russian exiles.
Armenia, Georgia and Turkey have become popular countries for Russian exiles. Tens of thousands of Russians have turned their backs on their homeland since the war against Ukraine began on February 24. In the Turkish metropolis of Istanbul and the Armenian capital of Yerevan, the Russian initiative “The Ark” supports those who have left the country upon arrival.
Fear of sanctions and military service
Above all, accommodation is provided for people who “had to flee in a hurry for fear of being arrested,” says Eva Rapoport (38), a volunteer at the organization, the German Press Agency in Istanbul. “We try to offer every kind of help so that they can stay for free for at least some time and find out how things are going for them.”
Some exiles also left Russia because of the poor economic prospects given the West’s harsh sanctions, Rapoport says. Young men are also afraid of being drafted into military service. Above all, well-educated people are among the newcomers.
“Die Arche” was founded in early March, shortly after the start of the war. According to its own statements, it is financed by donations. A well-known supporter is London-based exile opposition figure Mikhail Khodorkovsky. For example, apartments with up to six bedrooms are rented for newcomers, says Rapoport. In Istanbul alone, more than 200 accommodations have been arranged so far.
Escape to Turkey
The government has not released figures on how many Russians have come to Turkey since the beginning of the war. Millions of Russians travel to the Turkish holiday regions every year for tourism purposes. In contrast to Europe, the NATO country Turkey keeps its airspace open to Russian planes and does not participate in sanctions. Russians can also enter without a visa, making the country a hub. According to Rapoport, some of the newcomers will not settle in Turkey but will continue to travel.
According to official figures, there are now 75,000 people from Russia in the ex-Soviet Republic of Armenia – experts even estimate the number to be 100,000. Hotels, guesthouses and rental apartments in the capital Yerevan are fully occupied, as a dpa reporter reported on site. In Yerevan, programmers in particular have a chance of finding a job – several IT companies are based there. Because Russian is also spoken in Armenia, there are no language barriers for the newcomers, many of whom are young families.
Georgia is also an option as a haven for Russians. Russian is also spoken there. By mid-March, the authorities registered more than 30,000 entries from the neighboring country. According to the Interior Ministry, more than 17,000 Russians left Georgia again
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