Liberal Russians moving to Kyrgyzstan

RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS - In Brief 14 Mar 2022 by Alex Teddy
Since the Ukraine War began in February 2022 tens of thousands of Russians have gone abroad. Many have gone to the former Soviet republic of Kyrgyzstan. Kyrgyzstan is relatively liberal, everyone in the cities can speak Russian and the country has a low cost of living. Russians can stay in the country without a visa for an unlimited time. Liberal Russians are disturbed by the turn of events in Russia. There are rumors that martial law will be introduced or the borders will be closed. Many media outlets have closed. As more countries have closed their airspace to Russian planes it seems it might be difficult to get out in future. Some leasing companies will no longer lease planes to Russian airlines. Skyscanner no longer operates in Russia. Military age males seeking to leave Russia are sometimes questioned by the FSB. The people who have moved are often location independent: IT specialists, crypto currency miners, translators and suchlike. Flights to Turkey, Armenia, Georgia, the UAE and Qatar are full. Ticket prices are extremely high. Georgia says that at least 25 000 Russians have come to the country in March 2022.Flights from Moscow to Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan are about USD 300. This is much cheaper than the abovementioned destinations. An influx of Russians has caused the cost of hotel and short term lets to go up.However, Kyrgyzstan cannot afford to upset Moscow. There is a limit to what anti-Putin Russians can do and say in Kyrgyzstan. 1 million Kyrgyzs live in Russia and 5 million in Kyrgyzstan. The country is dependent on remittances from its people who are guest workers in Russia. The country is a member of the CSTO - a military alliance led by Russia. Bishkek clo...

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