In 2022, many Russians left for neighboring countries. Some of them made it to Georgia, and since the announcement of partial mobilization, the number of migrants has increased. According to the Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs, about 50,000 Russian citizens have crossed the border since September 21. “Klops” found the “February” and “September” moved and found out how things are in the new place.
The path to the mountains
22-year-old Maxim (not his real name) decided to leave Russia at the end of February. Then he dropped out of the 4th year of the law faculty and bought plane tickets to Bishkek. The border guard at the airport arranged an hour-long interrogation, and on some sections of the journey I had to face covid restrictions. A couple of weeks later, the Kaliningrader reached Georgia.
Ekaterina (not her real name) and her husband moved from Moscow a couple of weeks ago. They were going on vacation, but the day before they announced mobilization. The couple plan to stay abroad longer. Thoughts about leaving appeared in February, but “there were no savings then.” In half a year, we managed to raise about $1,700, which should be enough for the first couple of months in Georgia.
On September 21, 26-year-old Nikita was awakened by a call from a girl who told about the mobilization. The young man packed his backpack in 20 minutes and bought a train ticket from St. Petersburg to Minsk. Having recovered his breath and calmed down, Nikita developed a further route “Minsk – Moscow – Minvody – Vladikavkaz – Upper Lars – Tbilisi”. The end point was reached only on September 26.
Checkpoint “Upper Lars”.
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Housing
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Maxim already visited Georgia last year as a tourist and made friends there. They helped in March to rent a good two-room apartment 30 kilometers from Tbilisi for only $120. True, the hostess had to say that the young man from Kyiv – for the Russians, the price tag was much higher, and they themselves were afraid of sanctions.
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By the time Catherine arrived, the situation had worsened even more. According to the interlocutor of Klops, now it is already problematic to find housing for less than $500 in the capital. Many go to other cities.
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“We managed to rent a nice apartment for $450 on the 20th, which is considered expensive. Friends a few months ago rented for 300-350. I rode with a taxi driver who has been renting out his apartment for $120 for five years and finds it unacceptable to raise prices because of the hype. But not everyone thinks so. Some locals move from their apartments to relatives in order to rent more expensively to the Russians. Those who rent housing are afraid that the price may be raised due to a sharp increase in demand,” the girl says, adding that the realtor in Georgia is paid by the owner, not the tenant.
- Nikita still lives with a classmate, so he never found an apartment. He is afraid that the rent will come to him in a considerable amount due to the influx of compatriots.
- “According to the statistics of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia, Russians are passing through the country, many have gone further: Turkey, Sri Lanka, Europe, Bali, Thailand. As soon as the excitement subsides, I don’t think that there will be many Russians in Georgia,” the Klops interlocutor shared his opinion.
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Life
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Maxim’s life 30 km from Tbilisi costs $400 a month. This money is enough for rent, “communal”, Internet and a couple of trips to the capital, where you can go to a restaurant. The rest of the time the guy buys food at the market and eats at home. According to the young man, a lot of money is spent on cigarettes.
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“When moving to Georgia, Russians will have to get used to the lack of central heating. Instead, each apartment is equipped with a gas heater, so in winter you will have to spend tangible amounts on gas, even though the heating season is very short. The worn-out Soviet water supply system often fails. A couple of times a month, electricity is cut off for 10-15 minutes, and water is turned off for several hours, ”said Maxim.
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For now, Nikita is satisfied with the local conditions: “I drink tap water, vegetables and fruits are very cheap, all the services that Russians have forgotten since February are working here. Naturally, the southern flavor: driving style, climate, views and urban infrastructure in general. In all other respects, it is no worse here than in St. Petersburg, where I lived in recent years.
Work
Maxim is helped by his parents living in Germany. Every month they transfer a small amount, which is enough for basic expenses.
Nikita left St. Petersburg with 3 thousand dollars, a third of which, by the time he arrived in Tbilisi, was spent on transport, food, cards, SIM cards, and so on. With the remaining money, the guy plans to live for some time, but is already looking for a “remote job”. A young man wants to gain experience in the field of design and become a freelancer. Soon Nikita will be joined by his girlfriend, who is doing web development remotely.
Catherine’s husband had already found a job, but ended up in a team of Ukrainians, one of whom even served in the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
“They were able to communicate with each other. At first I could not believe it, I asked me to constantly write SMS to me, because I was worried. His colleagues are ordinary people, but they will never be able to love Russians. Thank you that they don’t have unconditional hatred for everyone indiscriminately, ”Ekaterina shared her experiences.
Language
- Many Georgians know Russian, but young people in most cases prefer English, at least with strangers.
- “Once I had to go through a three-step authentication for “good Russian” in order to communicate in my own language with a group of young Georgians. We discussed the belonging of Abkhazia, North Ossetia and the territories of Donbass. After that, the guys treated me to beer and cigarettes, in a word, they took me for their own. We still communicate, ”recalls Maxim.
- Ekaterina’s interlocutors more than once themselves offered to switch to Russian. The girl does not know English very well, but she believes that it is a good tone to start a conversation in it. People around do not remain indifferent and often try to help: “In the queue at the bank, a Russian-speaking Georgian woman approached me and translated our dialogue with the operator for quite a long time.”
- Nikita developed a similar algorithm for respectful communication with the locals: “We welcome a person in Georgian: “Gamarjoba!” Then we ask in English: “Do you speak Russian or English?” Next, how will the situation develop?
Attitude of local
- Maxim believes that in Georgia, as in other places, the attitude towards visitors will be positive if you can make money on refugees: “In a conversation with a taxi driver, a market seller and a guide, you will hear only positive things about yourself and your country, whatever you are.”
- According to the Kaliningrader, the isolated cases of Russophobia that he encountered in six months are either echoes of the events of 2008, or a response to the behavior of tourists who came to the country as if they were at home.
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- “Once, in my presence, an adult woman was loudly swearing at a cashier guy in a supermarket, because he did not understand Russian. Such visitors definitely do not cause respect, ”Maxim shared.
- It did not seem to Catherine that the Russians were expected “with open arms”: “We did not hope for this, but we are grateful to the Georgians for their completely benevolent attitude. We have never been denied any service. They constantly advise what to see in their country – they love and are proud of it.
- On the first day after arrival, a Georgian spoke to a girl in a store. He asked where the couple came from, and when he heard that they were from Moscow, he replied: “Does Russia have problems? When Georgia had problems, you didn’t let us in.” However, some locals, especially the older generation, are “pro-Russian” and support Putin’s policies. Ekaterina talked with taxi drivers several times: “It is noteworthy that even though we have different views with them, there was no aggression in these dialogues.”
According to Maxim’s observations, in recent days Russian speech has been heard noticeably more often even in Rustavi, a small town where a young man lives. Tbilisi was practically a Russian-speaking city already in the summer, so “it remains to be hoped that the new arrivals will not make the locals regret the Georgian hospitality with their behavior.”
Since the beginning of mobilization, 98,000 Russians have entered Kazakhstan, Interfax wrote. “Klops”
Border carts and hot tea for those who are freezing: how Russians who rushed to their neighbors are met in Kazakhstan
Residents of different cities shared their observations with Klops
“href=”https://klops.ru/articles/2022-09-30/258847-prigranichnyy-izvoz-i-goryachiy-chay-dlya-zamerzayuschih-kak-vstrechayut-v-kazahstane-rvanuvshih-k-sosedyam- rossiyan?from=back_259073″> found out from residents of a neighboring country, as our compatriots are received in the republic.