Thousands of Russians flee Turkey due to residency struggles and soaring costs

Tens of thousands of Russians who fled to Turkey after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine have moved on to other countries in the last year, squeezed by residency issues and soaring costs, according to data and interviews, including with nine Russian citizens. When the war began in February 2022, Turkey, Russia's Black Sea neighbour and a NATO member, emerged as a magnet for Russians, especially its largest city Istanbul and the Mediterranean resort of Antalya.

But this month, the number of Russians with Turkish resident permits fell to 96,000, down by more than a third from 154,000 at the end of 2022, official data shows. Nine Russian citizens who spoke to Reuters said they and others had left partly due to struggles to get residence permits since early 2023. Many have headed to Serbia and Montenegro, among the few European countries where they are welcome.

While the Kremlin has released no data on the wartime exodus, the Danish Refugee Council's Mixed Migration Centre says some 800,000 Russian citizens relocated abroad since the invasion of Ukraine. Turkey, which has cordial ties with both Moscow and Kyiv, maintained visa-free travel for Russians after the invasion and did not join the Western sanctions against Russia.

Some wealthier Russians have acquired Turkish citizenship with home purchases of at least $400,000 under a state programme, surpassing Iranians and Iraqis as the biggest foreign buyers over the last two years. But bureaucratic troubles have proven too onerous for many, said Eva Rapoport, 40. She worked for the 'Ark Project', which helped Russians arriving in Istanbul with free accommodation and legal support, but has also now joined the exodus from Turkey.

Source: Holiday News (holidaynews.net)

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