Andrei*, a college researcher, and his boyfriend oppose the Russian authorities and its invasion of Ukraine. One week after the warfare started, they determined to enter exile like tens of hundreds of Russians and fled to Turkey. Right here is Andrei’s account.
Quickly after the warfare started, there have been many causes to depart Russia. The financial state of affairs was horrible, and the final impartial information organisations that we had closed. The final straw was once we began to listen to rumours there would quickly be martial legislation and the border would shut. By that point, I used to be afraid.
It was very onerous to purchase aircraft tickets. I needed to strive about 15 instances. The web wasn’t working nicely, and simply 20 minutes after I purchased the primary ticket, the corporate stopped its flights out of Russia.
Generally, at the same time as you entered the information, the web site would let you know there have been no flights. That was a really horrifying signal as a result of we apprehensive it could possibly be the Russian state asking Russian corporations to not let folks go overseas.
We had been anxious, offended and very upset. I solely had good emotions once I was instructing, as a result of then I couldn’t take into consideration the information. We didn’t sleep or eat a lot due to the stress.
There’s a channel on the messaging app Telegram for folks to share info and recommendation on crossing the Russian border. Some had been saying that when attempting to depart, normally by air, they’d been held in a particular room the place the border guards requested them loads of questions. Some folks had been compelled to open their telephones and present their messages, and even re-install Telegram so outdated messages would reappear. So earlier than we left, we deleted all our messages voicing opposition – there have been loads of them – and uninstalled Telegram.
We couldn’t pack very many issues, however we needed to put together to not return residence.
We left the second week after the warfare started. After we handed by border management, it was the most effective feeling we’d had for the reason that warfare began. We exhaled. We had a beer and a few meals on the airport after which flew to Uzbekistan. That was additionally annoying as a result of it’s a criminal offense to be homosexual there, however we went anyway as a result of we had been so afraid the border would shut, and that was the one flight we had been capable of e book. We largely simply stayed in our lodge room there, attempting to determine our subsequent steps, till we had been capable of e book flights to Turkey.
The next week, we had been in Turkey. We felt very relieved. We’ve really run into some associates from Moscow right here who’ve additionally left, and we talked about how all of us received out and what we had been going to do subsequent. As we mentioned how we felt all of us simply stored saying “pizdets”, which is Russian for “complete f***up”. A few of our different associates went to Georgia – 5 folks at the least. I personally know 12 individuals who’ve left to date.
We plan to remain in Turkey indefinitely, so proper now we’re searching for a long-term place to hire within the countryside the place it’s extra inexpensive.
I’ve most of my financial savings invested. I can’t get them out, as a result of the inventory market is closed in Russia. It’s attainable that I’ll lose them. However it doesn’t hassle me proper now. I’m secure.
I believe we’re going to seek for some cryptocurrency methods to switch cash from Russia. Earlier than I left, I attempted to get some money, {dollars}, at an ATM. I joined a line of 25 plus folks on the ATM. I stood there for quarter-hour earlier than I realised there was no motion. The ATM was damaged.
I used to be stunned by the outbreak of the warfare. I couldn’t have imagined it will occur because it has, with bombs in Kyiv. I have to make an effort to imagine that that is what’s occurring. There are millions of folks useless for no purpose.
I knew the regime was unhealthy – I’ve been protesting towards Putin since 2011 – however I couldn’t think about this. Buddies and I had been saying, “Nuclear warfare is just not imagined to occur, however the warfare towards Ukraine was additionally not imagined to occur.” So now I don’t imagine in predictability in Russia.
I’d simply recovered from a really onerous bout of sickness, so I didn’t go to the protests, however I used to be coordinating with associates. I aggregated details about the place the police had been, from direct messages and chats and information from protesting teams, and I’d ahead it to my associates who had been there and suggest which route to go in to keep away from police.
They didn’t carry indicators as a result of folks with indicators get caught first. So that they had been simply strolling, typically shouting one thing.
Protests in the meanwhile are very onerous. Russian opposition chief Alexei Navalny used to organise them, and now he’s in jail and far of his group is overseas. So it was unorganised. Police instantly closed the sq. the place folks had been going, and that made the protests very broadly distributed round the entire centre of Moscow, so it’s inconceivable to essentially know the way many individuals had been there.
My good friend received fined 20,000 roubles, like a 3rd of the common [monthly] wage, for standing alone holding an indication saying, “No to warfare”. It isn’t simple cash to provide away, but it surely’s manner higher than being jailed for even two days.
When the invasion started, some Russian troopers thought they had been going to coach. I’ve seen a number of movies of Russian POWs on a Ukrainian Telegram channel saying they didn’t know they had been going to warfare. In fact, they could possibly be mendacity as a result of they had been caught by Ukrainians, however I believe it’s seemingly they didn’t know.
I’ve learn that about 52 % of Russian folks assist what’s happening, however this isn’t assist like with the 2014 annexation of Crimea when the territory was taken simply with out many individuals dying, and the sanctions had been delicate. Again then, folks had been pleased in regards to the annexation, some had been even celebrating. Now, persons are similar to, OK, I imagine TV, so it was most likely mandatory.
There hasn’t been a drop of impartial tv in Russia for greater than a decade. A hundred percent of the content material on TV is pro-Putin. My associates don’t watch TV in any respect, however even those that do are like, “I’m not going to talk up towards the warfare as a result of in the event that they’re OK with Russian troops dying, they’d most likely kill me.” So it’s assist out of worry.
The mainstream information the older era watches, I believe it’s utterly indifferent from the reality. They are saying, for instance, that Ukrainians use residents as human shields. However it’s like, nicely, what are all these Russian troopers doing with weapons? Killing folks.
The mainstream information additionally talks about how Ukraine is engaged on creating nuclear weapons, and organic weapons specifically designed to have an effect on simply Russian folks. Particular bioweapons that solely kill Russians. I do know that’s silly. However some folks will imagine something, and the Russian authorities has spent billions on propaganda, which has resulted in folks having low belief in science and different dependable sources.
Even now, Russian associates who’re staying, they’re residing their regular lives. However I believe that worse issues might occur in a month or two – financial collapse, jailing a number of folks for his or her views, hate crimes.
We ought to be worrying about our associates, however proper now we’re nonetheless worrying about us. This has all been very annoying. I used to be speaking to some folks about it, and once they requested me, “How are you?” I began crying. In order that’s largely the state I’ve been in. Now issues are getting higher, and there’s hope, so as soon as we’re settled in, we’ll get again to worrying about our associates.
As instructed to Delaney Nolan.
This interview has been edited and condensed for readability and size.
*Title has been modified on the interviewee’s request.