On the day when The New York Times reporters visited it, a meditation band was playing indie group, a Muscovite family was selling homemade cosmetics, and a tattoo artist from St. Petersburg was concentrating on drawing someone’s arm.
However, Tuf is located in the capital of Armenia. It was founded after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, soon followed by the influx of thousands of Russians, many still in shock.
“Here you realize that you are not alone,” said Tatjana Raspopova, a 26-year-old Russian who helped found the club.
Armenia and Sakartvel have historical ties with Russia, but in just a few months, the wave of arrivals from this country has significantly changed cities such as Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, and Tbilisi, the capital of Sakartvel.