At least 650,000 Russians have left the country and moved permanently abroad since the start of the war against Ukraine, DPA reported. The main reasons are fear of mobilization and overcoming the imposed sanctions.
Most of them emigrated to Armenia (110,000), Kazakhstan and Israel (80,000 each), according to the data of the independent Internet portal The Bell. The reason for the large number in these three countries is due to the fact that Russians do not need a visa for them.
Germany is also a preferred destination for Russians, with their number increasing by more than 36,000.
The Bell claims it made the calculations based on data from immigration authorities. In total, data from over 70 countries are included in the calculations.
However, the portal claims that the data is not complete, as some countries popular among Russians, such as Thailand, Azerbaijan and Cyprus, did not respond to queries. Other countries such as the United Arab Emirates, where many Russians also moved after the war began, are not included in the calculations.
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