Russian nationals have beaten a five-year record for entry into Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Mongolia. The data published by the border service of the FSB was calculated by Novaya Gazeta Europe.
Russians left their country for neighbouring states and CIS countries 8.4 million times, 4.7 million times more than in 2021 when there was COVID.
Russian nationals crossed the border on the way out 24.3 million times in total last year, 2.9 million times more than in 2021. The most popular destinations were Abkhazia (recognized by Russia to be a separate state from Georgia), Turkey, Kazakhstan, the UAE, and Egypt. A total of 15.1 million departures were to these countries.
Russia-neighbouring countries and CIS member states that do not share a border with Russia (excluding Belarus and Moldova) faced a massive influx of Russian nationals last year: the number of people departed to those reached 8.4 million, growing by 130%.
The third quarter of the year when mobilisation was declared saw most people leaving Russia. A total of 3.5 million people departed Russia to those countries between July and September, followed by 2.1 million between October and December.
The influx of Russians was record high in five years in Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Mongolia.
The number of times Russian nationals departed to Israel doubled last year, growing to over 100,000.
This growth does not mean millions of Russians left the country permanently. Some of them often return, and some might have crossed the border multiple times. However, populationists Yulia Florinskaya and Alexey Raksha estimated last year’s emigration wave to stand between 400,000 and 800,000 people.
Over 100,000 opted to stay in Georgia, and at least 100,000 more in Kazakhstan. A total of 50,000–100,000 people left for Serbia, and around 40,000 for Armenia. Israel, Kyrgyzstan, and the EU welcomed around 35,000 Russians each, they say.
Last year also saw massive growth in Russians leaving for Asia: Thailand, Sri-Lanka, and India. The record number of travels, even compared to pre-COVID years, was to the UAE.
The FSB also recorded 1.1 million departures to the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk “People’s republics” in Q2 and Q3 of 2022. It is also reported that 470,000 Russians entered Ukraine last year.
