Russians have continued moving to Armenia because of fears of repression, renewed mobilisation and increasing restrictions in Russia. In Yerevan, Russian is widely spoken, and the Armenian authorities have said that Russians fleeing their country are welcome. Russians can enter with an ordinary passport and do not need a visa or special residence status.

Human rights activist Jan Slovitski estimated that about 50,000 Russians who left for those reasons are currently in Armenia. He said the latest arrivals tend to be younger and have fewer financial resources than earlier newcomers. The increased demand for housing has driven up prices. Slovitski said that, unlike the panic-driven departures after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and its partial mobilisation, more recent departures were linked to a growing sense that the risk of persecution was increasing.