As many as a million Russians fled abroad in the first year of the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine. Now thousands are returning home, delivering a propaganda victory to President Vladimir Putin and a boost to his war economy.
  • LainTrain@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
    4·
    5 months ago

    Couldn’t be me lol I don’t want to be murdered for being trans but sad to see anyway, fwiw no other Russians I know are returning anywhere, and their anti-war and anti-(russian)imperialism positions haven’t dwindled

    • zed_proclaimer [he/him]@hexbear.netEnglish
      18·
      5 months ago

      you mean their pro-NATO positions?

      In the West they get the privilege of being murdered, harassed, and deported for being Russian, even if they fully signal they are a comprador. The reason over half have returned is due to russophobia and Western nations refusing to grant asylum or renew residency because they don’t actually like “the good russians” who betray their country for their current anti-Russia project. They will be xenophobic to all of them, whether they grovel or not they will never be in their club.

      If I were the current Russian government I would keep an eye on these folks too just to make sure they aren’t committing espionage.

      • LainTrain@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
        11·
        5 months ago

        Okay, I have never heard of anyone being harassed, nevermind murdered or deported for being Russian. Got a source on this claim? What about the “over half” too?

        Don’t get me wrong there’s definitely some bloodthirst “all Russians support Putin and must pay” type rhetoric around, but as far as I’m aware, it’s largely limited to online patriotic posturing ala post-9/11 rather than any real world action.

        What I have heard however is Russians murdered for being Russian while voicing dissent against the Putin regime or participating politically as actual opposition both on home turf and even overseas whether they be leftists or vaguely opposed/problematic to the oligarchy

        • zed_proclaimer [he/him]@hexbear.netEnglish
          14·
          5 months ago

          Half is right in the article, over half of Russian expats have returned to Russia. They cite harassment and legal issues

          If you think islamophobia post 9/11 was just internet posturing I think you need to re-examine that. There were dozens of murders and massive society-wide witch hunts

        • BelieveRevolt [he/him]@hexbear.netEnglish
          13·
          5 months ago

          The Baltics are actively hostile towards the Russian speaking population that has lived there for decades, can’t imagine they’d treat Russian expats well.