The Russian human rights organization “Kovcheg” has begun to receive many more inquiries about emigration. Representatives of the association assert that in the first 20 days of August, they received six times as many requests of this kind than in the entire month of May 2026.
According to the questions asked, Russians are increasingly interested in moving to Armenia and Georgia, as well as to Serbia, Argentina or countries in Latin America.
The suspicion is that interest in emigration has increased against the backdrop of information about a possible new wave of mobilization after the September elections and the potential exit permits from Russia.
The representatives of the organization “Kovcheg” believe that the interest in these countries can be explained by the visa-free regime for Russians and by the large amount of information about citizens moving to these states starting from 2022.
At the same time, members of the association maintain that interest in moving to Kazakhstan has decreased after the country tightened legalization regulations and is detaining those persecuted for political reasons. Concurrently, Montenegro has introduced visas for Russians, and in EU countries there are long waits for visas and strict financial requirements.