“I left for Istanbul in a state of panic shortly after the start of the war. I thought I would not have another chance to leave, to close the border. I did not want to be alone in the country as I saw all my friends leave. “I thought Russia was turning into North Korea,” he said. But in Turkey, her bank cards were blocked and she could not carry money home to support her mother in Moscow. He survived by asking for favors from friends who had access to funds. Now, reluctantly, he returned home. “I came back last week. To put it bluntly, money is the main reason I had to return it. I have an apartment in Moscow that I was still paying for. I had the option of working remotely, but it was not the easiest option and I would earn more here in Moscow. “Life was not sustainable for me in Turkey.” As Russia’s war draws to a close in its third month without end, the hasty decisions many Russians have made to escape have struck a chord with the harsh reality of immigration abroad, especially at a time of closed borders and banking sanctions. While many Russians are gone forever, others have retired to care for sick parents, run businesses, keep their families together or just make ends meet. “It was a real family drama,” said Roman, a tech startup co-founder who returned from Armenia last week. “I thought we should get as far away from Russia as possible. My wife did not want to go anywhere and I had to look for a compromise. It was a matter of choice: to leave Russia without my wife or to return with my wife. So I decided to come here with my wife and see what happens. “ Experts say the wave of Russian immigration caused by the war is unusual, sparked by rumors of forced mobilization in early March and led by highly trained workers who often travel to smaller countries. And at least on paper, many have the option of returning either for short trips or permanently. The atmosphere is really heavy here. All the media tell us that many people support the war, but this is not true Artem Taganov, technology businessman Artem Taganov, the founder of start-up technology company HintEd, left for Armenia in early March as part of a flight from Russia’s technology sector. His partner and investors urged him to leave the country immediately for fear of forced mobilization, he said, and he had made plans to open a new company in Armenia. But after five weeks in the capital, Yerevan, he had returned to Moscow temporarily due to family and business concerns. “The idea [in Armenia] was to start a company but has stopped because I’m expecting some money. “My wife and dog are still in Moscow, my wife can not leave her job at the moment,” he said. He worked at an institute working with a British university of arts that may end its deals in Russia this year. “I am trying to persuade her to move. “And I still have some work to do here, so we have to support my company here.” It was a restless return home. His parents, who live in another city and support the war, told him he was wrong to leave Russia. He says he finds it difficult to call them and does not wait to see them until the conflict is over. “When I came back I was afraid that there would be a lot of cars with Z or V [symbols supporting the war] “But I have only seen one,” he said. “Nevertheless, the atmosphere here is very heavy. All the media tell us that many people support the war, but that is not true. In my close environment no one supports it. Everyone here is afraid to even talk about this “special operation”. “Nobody smiles and everyone is sad.” Pro-Russian troops in Mariupol. Fears of forced mobilization forced many Russians to flee at the beginning of the war. Photo: Alexander Ermochenko / Reuters A senior executive at one of Russia’s largest IT companies said he had observed the return of younger, lower-wage workers billed from cities such as Yerevan, Istanbul and Tbilisi. “People left in a panic and after a while they realized, ‘Okay, how are we going to keep living?’ said the executive. “They still hate the situation, they still disagree and they still feel uncomfortable psychologically and do not want to return. “But there is no way you can not return.” There are no definitive estimates of how many Russians fled the country after the start of the war, which the Kremlin has described as a “special operation.” While technology workers may have strong prospects abroad, others may find that their skills and training do not translate across borders. Dmitri, an art consultant, said he was in “shock” when the war broke out and left the country due to rumors of forced mobilization. “I flew to Uzbekistan, one of the easiest places I could visit without a visa. I returned to Moscow in late March, when it became clear that the forced mobilization was just a rumor. I realized that Europe was not an option for me. I’m not sure Europe is waiting for the Russians to come, even those who are against the war. What would I do there? “I speak almost no English.” Ira Lobanovskaya, who heads an organization that helps Russians settle abroad, said: “Many people left during the wave of panic, just to catch their breath. I see that some are coming back now. But I do know that some of those who have returned are making plans to leave again. “They just had to go back to Russia to get all their things, organize their papers and make concrete plans to leave properly.” A number of factors could make it difficult for Russians to travel abroad, said Katrin Sommerfeld, a researcher at the Mannheim-based European Economic Research Center, which focuses on refugee migration. He has published a document calling on German politicians to present a strategy on how to deal with Russian immigrants. “Prices are skyrocketing in the countries where these people will go,” he said. “You can only get $ 10,000 abroad from Russia. You can not access your bank account. The ruble has depreciated. So it is more difficult to get your money and it is worth less. Things are very expensive. “This makes it difficult and could possibly fuel return migration, because if your money is burning and not working abroad, then what are you going to do?” Some of those who return say they are often surprised by the indifference to war. “The main impression for me is that people somehow accept it,” said the tech executive. “War is bad and Putin is bad, but life goes on. It’s pretty much ok here, the exchange rate is ok even if it’s fantastic, some things have disappeared from the stores but not as bad as we thought, prices have gone up but not so bad. It has really pushed me seriously to the depths of my heart. “ In a recent poll, more than half of Russians said they did not watch the war closely. “I thought I would witness horrible scenes in the streets, that people would be filled with anger in favor of war, but life actually goes on,” said Olga Gladysheva. “All the bars and restaurants are still full every night. “People seem to be unaware of the war – but that too is scary.”