In 2022, almost 12 thousand Russians left for Near Europe

In the first year of the war, 11,863 Russians emigrated to the countries of the European Union directly bordering Russia. This is almost twice as high as the average for the last 10 years. The figures are provided by the edition “Vyorstka”, which analyzed the data of the statistical services of the Schengen states.

The publication compared the data for Finland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Norway. Most immigrants moved to Finland – 6,003 people. In second place is Lithuania – 2188 people. 1918 Russian citizens chose Estonia as their new place of residence, Latvia – 924, Norway – 830 people.

Among the countries of the European Union, Poland also borders Russia, but its statistical services have not yet published reports for 2022.

• In total, according to some data, more than a million citizens left Russia after the start of the war in Ukraine. The first wave of departures happened shortly after the beginning of the military invasion – in February and March 2022. It was caused by the disagreement of many Russians with the Kremlin’s policy and intensified political repression. The second wave of emigration began in September last year, when President Vladimir Putin announced the mobilization of Russians for the war in Ukraine. Then men of conscription age began to leave Russia, many with their families.
• In addition to the countries of the European Union, Georgia, Armenia and the countries of Central Asia became frequent destinations for the emigration of Russians.