‘Home’ has been a distant concept for Aleksei* after he fled Moscow firstly of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The anti-war activist had been living in Georgia for 2 years – and had planned to make it his everlasting residency – when protests against Georgian’s pro-Kremlin government engulfed the capital Tbilisi.
He originally fled Russia in 2022 to avoid conscription. Since then, he’s among the many a whole lot of people that have been arrested in Georgia throughout the ongoing protests, which have been met with unprecedented police brutality.
But unlike other demonstrators, who, identical to Aleksei, have faced beatings and 10 days behind bars, he was faced with the not possible alternative of being extradited to Russia or leaving Georgia voluntarily.
The threat was so severe that in January this yr, he bought a one-way ticket to Armenia, leaving his girlfriend and friends behind in Tbilisi.
That is the third time Aleksei has had to maneuver within the last three years after escaping Russia – first crossing the border to Kazakhstan, then Georgia and now Armenia.
Fearing Armenia’s relationship with the Kremlin, he is decided to hunt refuge elsewhere. But options for Russians – even in the event that they oppose the war – are scarce.
‘I need to maneuver to Europe, nevertheless it is tough with my Russian passport,’ he told Metro from his rented room within the Armenian capital Yerevan.
He added that he has to begin from ‘ground zero’ to rebuild his life.
‘Another choice is South East Asia, like Thailand or Vietnam. I would love to maneuver to Bulgaria, nevertheless it is tough, having to acquire a visa.
‘Serbia is less complicated, but I worry concerning the government’s ties with the Kremlin – it is similar like here, in Armenia.’
EU members have significantly tightened travel restrictions for Russians after the invasion began in February 2022, while some countries – Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Finland, Poland and the Czech Republic – have imposed outright bans.
Residents need a legitimate visa to enter the Schengen Area, which covers many of the continent, and because the visa facilitation agreement with Russia was fully suspended in September 2022, applications now undergo more prolonged scrutiny.
Aleksei said: ‘After all the pieces I experienced in Georgia, I feel like there is no such thing as a place for me. I’m unsure cope with it. I never legalised my status in Georgia, I attempted persistently nevertheless it was impossible.
‘The Georgian police used this against me. It has turn out to be clear to me that I actually have less and fewer options and I can have to embrace a nomadic life. Now that I can work remotely, it is sensible.
‘But the sensation that you’ve less and fewer “space” on this planet, makes me feel stateless. It is tough to cope with it.’
Ivan*, Aleksei’s cellmate within the Georgian prison, had the same fate. Each fled Russia inside a number of months of the beginning of the war, so that they formed a bond.
After their convictions, the pair were told they’d to depart Georgia or face being deported back to Russia. Neither of them desired to be deported, so that they moved to Yerevan as an alternative.
‘I’m not a terrorist. I work, I pay taxes in Georgia, I’m useful to society. Me being in Georgia was thing for the country,’ Ivan told Metro.
‘I do know nothing about Armenia – culture, language – nothing. I used to be prepared to settle in Georgia.’
Few options remain for Russians looking for to flee the Kremlin’s regime as Europe is continuous to tighten its borders.
Governments are apprehensive about security threats amid the mounting cases of sabotage and espionage, including arson attacks, bombings, and even assassination plots.
Olga Abramenko, of the Anti-Discrimination Centre Memorial (ADC), sees a plenty of issues related to the human rights of Russian activists and anti-war protestors in each non-visa countries – where they’ll enter and not using a visa – and other states.
She told Metro said it’s ‘tough’ to be a Russian immigrant, even in non-visa conditions, in nations formerly a part of the Soviet Union, like Georgia, Armenia and Kazakhstan.
Olga said: ‘Armenia, for instance, was friendly to Russians pondering that it is going to help their economy. The political context has modified because the start of the war and now Armenia is leaning towards European integration they usually need to have closer ties with the US quite than Russia.
‘After all, this has a serious influence on Russian immigrants. In Georgia, there have been many cases when anti-war activists weren’t allowed to enter the country because the ruling party is pro-Russian. So, people have had to seek out other routes.
‘In Kazakhstan, Russians are facing a special challenge. Authorities are refusing to renew their Russian bank cards, so individuals are forced to depart the country. So, even immigrating to former Soviet states is uncertain.’
Olga also said Russian authorities pressure former Soviet states to limit the movements of Russian immigrants.
This influence is especially sensitive for Central Asian countries, that are very much involved in labor migration to Russia.
‘That’s the reason the federal government, for instance, of Kyrgyzstan must be, let’s say, loyal to Russia,’ she added.
‘There’s also an enormous risk of extradition by request of Russia of activists who immigrate as an example to Kazakhstan or Kyrgyzstan. There have been such cases.’
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan an Armenia are also ‘not protected’ for dissidents on account of extradition threats.
Olga described the political situation as ‘quite unpredictable’. One other step the Kremlin takes to curb the rights of Russian activists who flee abroad is stripping them of their citizenship.
ADC Memorial has observed some cases through which dissidents are ‘punished by the regime’ by having their internal ID, used to travel inside Russia, and international passport cancelled, leaving them de facto stateless.
This implies they can not travel and seek help from a consulate anywhere on this planet.
Olga estimated this has happened to at the least ‘dozens’ of immigrants since 2022.
She said: ‘I don’t even know define this legally and whether it makes people stateless. All I can say is that they can not exercise their right to free movement.’
Much like Russia, its biggest ally – and neighbour – Belarus can also be making an example of some activists abroad by cancelling their documents.
Olga said that some nations like Lithuania and Poland welcome Belarusian immigrants if their documents are not any longer valid.
‘We would really like to see such measures for Russians as well, nevertheless it is difficult due to the war.’
Vladimir Kara-Murza, one among the last surviving outstanding opposition figures in Russia, said such ‘blanket bans’ imposed by the EU on his fellow residents ‘make the Kremlin completely satisfied’.
Propagandists blasted on Russian radio ‘would have a field day’ each time latest sanctions are announced, he said, recalling his days in a Siberian gulag when the one ‘entertainment’ prisoners were allowed was to hearken to radio stations.
He said: ‘They might say, “We now have been telling you, these Westerners are Russophobes, they don’t hate Vladimir Putin, they hate all Russians”.
‘Such sanctions align with this message.’
Vladimir stressed that ‘nothing could possibly be more counter-productive’ as such sanctions on travel don’t affect the Russian president or his allies within the Kremlin.
As a substitute, it’s independent journalists, human and civil rights activists, and normally, Russians who’ve condemned the war which can be affected by the sanctions essentially the most.
*Within the interest of their safety, the names Aleksei and Ivan have been modified to guard their true identities.
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