The numbers are neither secured nor independently verifiable. One thing is clear: the forced mobilization of hundreds of thousands of Russians for the war in Ukraine has led to an exodus of refugees from Russia. Outside of Russia, a new Russian diaspora is emerging, consisting mainly of young people and members of the urban middle class.
Some 700,000 Russians have reportedly entered Georgia alone, as Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili, 70, told Radio France. About 100,000 Russians stayed in their country and 600,000 traveled further, for example to Armenia or Turkey and further to Europe.
Other popular destinations for Russian refugees are Serbia, Israel and the United Arab Emirates. According to Zurabishvili, most of the Russians who have arrived are young or middle-class.
Kremlin refused
In addition, about 200,000, again mostly young Russians, have entered Kazakhstan, as the Russian newspaper “Komsomolskaya Pravda” reported a month ago – most of them apparently fleeing forced military service in Ukraine.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov (55) rejected such reports in early October. “I don’t have exact figures, but of course they are far from what is claimed,” he told Reuters news agency.
In addition, there are likely to be an undisclosed number of tens of thousands of refugees who left via other routes or who still had a valid Schengen visa. In mid-September, the Schengen countries suspended visa facilitation for Russians. (keep)