Russians, disheartened by the war in Ukraine, fearful of the pressure from sanctions, and concerned by the muzzling of critical voices, have been fleeing their country in recent days. Their options are limited—with a near-complete shutdown of European airspace to all flights inbound and outbound from Russia; only a handful of exit corridors remain. Those wishing to leave from the European side of the country are crossing the land border to Finland or the Baltic states (Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania). Those who do not have European visas have headed to Georgia, Armenia, and Turkey, where a Russian dissident community is growing.
“Many Russians have arrived in Georgia in recent days,” journalist Boris Grozovski wrote on his Facebook page. “We are not tourists, dear citizens of Georgia. We are refugees. Personally, I was wanted by the police in Russia for distributing anti-war petitions … [We] ran not from bullets, bombs and missiles, but from prison. If I wrote what I write now while in Russia, I would inevitably go to prison for 15 to 20 years.” Russian media outlets are under increasing pressure to only report information from official sources. Last Friday, Russian lawmakers passed a statute under which those accused of spreading “disinformation” about the war in Ukraine could face up to 15 years in prison. Another law passed in recent days punishes “discrediting” the armed forces, including calling on them to lay down their weapons or withdraw, with a 50,000-ruble ($450) fine or up to three years’ imprisonment for persistent offenders.
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