Russians flee Vladimir Putin and go into exile in Canada | War in Ukraine

A cabin suitcase and four small backpacks containing a pair of jeans, some t-shirts and warm clothes and books, this is what Anastasia Ryabkova brought with them, her husband Vladimir Ryabkov and their two daughters, Kira 8 years old and 3-year-old Vlada, fleeing their native Siberia a little over a month ago.

We have few things, but we feel safe and that is more important than material thingssays Anastasia Ryabkova, in French, in the small motel room where her family has been staying since her arrival in Ontario.

In Russia, this classical singer worked as an early childhood educator. Her husband Vladimir was a mechanic and owner of a garage. Both describe themselves as opponents of Vladimir Putin and supporters of Russian opponent and now imprisoned anti-corruption blogger Alexei Navalny.

Just days after the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, they went to demonstrate in the central square of their city, Tomsk, to denounce the war.

We couldn’t stay silentthey say, holding hands.

Mrs. Ryabkova says that in just three minutes she and her husband were apprehended by the police.

A few days later, the Russian authorities showed up at their doorstep. Fearing arrest, the family, who already held a tourist visa for Canada, decided to pack up.

In Russia, when the police come to your house, you know you can be arrested for no reason. […] I can no longer live in Russia because I will be brought to justice. My wife is going to be brought to justice and I’m afraid my family will be separatedsays Mr. Ryabkov, who was himself born in Ukraine, when the country was part of the Soviet Union.

Tens of thousands in exile

The case of the Ryabkovs is far from isolated. Like them, tens of thousands of other Russians have fled their country since Russia invaded Ukraine. Experts say it is difficult to assess their exact number, but the NGO OK Russianswhich helps Russians who have fled their country, estimates that there are around 300,000 in this situation since the start of the invasion of Ukraine on February 24.

There’s probably more than that nowbelieves Jeanne Batalova, senior analyst at the Migration Policy Institute.

She explains that most find refuge in the Baltic countries, in Georgia, in Armenia, in Turkey or even in Israel.

If you look at the numbers and the speed at which people are leaving, when there is no war in Russia, it is unprecedentedshe adds.

Konstantin Sonin, a Russian economist and professor at the University of Chicago, compares this exodus to that caused by the Russian Civil War after the Bolsheviks seized power in the early 20^and century.

He is worried to see so many professionals leaving the country.

This means that if Russia survives this crisis, it will have even less chance to develop.he laments.

Pay the price for his opinions

Toronto-based Russian-born immigration lawyer Lev Abramovich says he’s seen a marked increase in requests for help from Russia since the war began.

Most of these requests come from people who have expressed their political views and oppose the war. […] They now have to hide, they lost their jobs or had to leave the countryhe deplores, specifying that opposing the regime of Vladimir Putin is very expensive in Russia.

” All who opposed [au régime] are dead, imprisoned or out of the country. »

Sasha (not her real name), a journalist from Moscow, lost his job when the online newspaper he worked for was shut down by the Russian government. Since the start of the war, he has had no income.

His children have already left the country and he hopes to soon find refuge in Canada with his wife. He says the current situation in Russia is worse than what he experienced under the Soviet Union in the 1970s and 1980s.

At the time, everyone knew that if we followed certain rules, there was no danger. […] What is happening today is much more like the 1930s, under Stalin, when no one could be sure of not getting imprisoned.

I understand that people hold the Russians collectively responsible for what is happening in Ukraine, but I hope Westerners will understand that you can’t really oppose an authoritarian regime that is determined to stay in power at all costshe said.

Leaving, a challenge in itself

But leaving Russia is not easy, says Lev Abramovich.

Russians who have the financial means to leave must first find a flight. However, many of them have been suspended. Many countries also require them to obtain a visa to enter their territory.

At the airport, travelers also risk being interrogated and banned from leaving by Russian authorities, says Lev Abramovich.

At the border I was asked a lot of questions. Where I was going, for how long and why. […] [Les douaniers] told me they were waiting for my returnsays Ksenia (fictitious name), who arrived in Canada with her son this week.

She is now worried about her family back in Russia, especially as her mother says she has learned that Russian intelligence agents are now questioning relatives of people who have left the country.

Anything could happen to them. The police might search their house and claim to have found drugs there. They could also seize my father’s business. This sort of thing often happens in Russia.

Ksenia and the Ryabkovs do not know when they will see their homeland again. They gave up on Russia since Vladimir Putin could stay in power until 2036.

It is very difficult because I closed the door. I left my beautiful apartment, my daughters’ school, my parents, my friendssays Anastasia Ryabkova.

Ukrainian refugees will be able to return to Ukraine to rebuild their country after the war. We won’t be able to go back to Russiasays her husband Vladimir.