INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
capital into a center for creative volunteer projects after they relocated from St
draft has dramatically reshaped former Soviet nations like Kyrgyzstan, driving up real estate prices and giving a major boost to local
economies.Cities like Bishkek, where Russian is still widely spoken, became popular destinations for fleeing Russians, who had few options
for leaving the country due to Western flight bans, border closures and the skyrocketing cost of flights to the few available
"Red Roof" house.Ilya KuleshovAt one point, Kuleshova said Red Roof was housing up to 20 Russians who had left the country to evade
million Russians arrived in Kyrgyzstan in the first nine months of this year, according to official Kyrgyz figures, which is more than
double the number recorded over the same period last year
bar.Litvinova also volunteered to help run a chat group on Telegram messaging app providing information for Russians arriving in
subscribers grew more than fivefold after the mobilization announcement and they started receiving enquiries from Kyrgyz journalists.While
the Kyrgyz reaction to the arrival of so many Russians has been predominantly positive, some tensions have been sparked by the wealth of
many new arrivals (per-capita purchasing power in Russia is six times that in Kyrgyzstan, according to the World Bank).In particular, Kyrgyz
across this landlocked and mountainous country of 7 million.Alexandra Litvinova (R) at a Red Roof event.@redroofbishA Russian woman who
year, up from just 3.6% in the whole of 2021
Other popular destinations for fleeing Russians have also seen economic booms, with the South Caucasus nations of Georgia and Armenia now
Russia, as well as multinational corporations likeApple relocating their staff to Bishkek, will provide a tangible boost to the Kyrgyz
