Erevan, Belgrade, Berlin and many other cities since the beginning of the war in Ukraine have become centers of Russian emigration. But some of the Russians who have left their homeland in the last 2.5 years have gone to countries where there are not many Russian-speaking people. What are these not the most typical places for emigration?
With three children in Rwanda
Natalia has been living with her husband and three children in the capital of Rwanda, Kigali, for over a year now. Her husband, who is a geophysicist, regularly visited the country for work since 2015, Natalia told DV. “We have been planning to live abroad for a long time. The events of 2022 prompted us to do so – we decided to realize our dream.“ It was at this point that her husband was offered a job on a long-term project in Rwanda and the family decided to move there. Adaptation was not difficult, since a few years earlier the family had already lived there for three months.
Natalia shares that the attitude towards the Russians in Kigali is good – as well as to all other Europeans. When she first arrived there in 2019, many of the locals asked what Russia was, but now they knew more about it.
„We plan to stay here for as long as my husband's project runs. We will think of him when it is over,”, Natalia says in response to the question of what the family's plans are for the future. She states that she likes Rwanda, although as a mother she worries about the level of education in local schools.
Hospitality Training in Malaysia
Ivan is a student from Russia who went to the capital of Malaysia – Kuala Lumpur – in August 2023. “I ended up here because I signed up to study hotel management,” he told DV. In his words – wanted to gain experience in Asia, and he chose the specific country based on two criteria: the quality of education and the possibility to live there comfortably and without knowing the local language.
„There are very few Russians here, but the local people treat me well enough. I often end up being the first Russian they see live. But in general, their attitude towards me is good“, says Ivan.
However, he does not plan to stay in Malaysia after completing his studies. The main reason for this is the harsh climate. “It is very hot here and there are no seasons, the average temperature is 30 degrees, whether it is January or the beginning of July.“ Ivan plans to move to South America after completing his studies.
South Africa and the opportunities for development
Konstantin has been living in South Africa for almost three years now. He arrived there for the first time as a tourist seven years ago and immediately knew that he would return again. “Since then, I have been coming from Russia for 3-4 months in the winter, until at one point I stopped clearly realizing where my home is and where I am a tourist,”, explains Konstantin. Meanwhile, a daughter was born to him in South Africa.
Konstantin now blogs about Cape Town, aimed at the country's Russian-speaking community. "The more Russian-speaking people come here, the more opportunities there are for profit," he told DV. Konstantin's main commitments are in the tourism sector, but he also helps with the preparation of documents for migrants and tourists.
„Local people treat Russian speakers wonderfully – they don't see a problem with this, as there are no huge flows of migrants and housing prices are not changing.“ According to Konstantin, the Russian-speaking community in Cape Town currently numbers about 3,000 people, but more and more Russians are coming to start a business there. “I plan to connect my future with South Africa because I want as many people as possible to learn about this place”, says Konstantin.
Panama – Anastasia
's new homeland
Anastasia went with her husband and children to Panama more than two years ago for work, she told DV. “This is where I found my calling – I started helping with births.“ The young woman says that women often arrive in the country to give birth there, as this gives the child the opportunity to get a passport. “I translate from English and Spanish and help women,”, explains Anastasia.
According to her, the Russian-speaking people in Panama are no more than 2,000 people, and the local people are extremely well-intentioned and sincere. “Panamanians are probably the best people I have ever met in my life – sincere and real. But they do not know at all what is happening in the world now and they are not interested in the news.“
„In Panama we like it. We live very well here and for now we want to stay here," Anastasia told DV.
Author: Alexey Voloshinov