http://intersectionproject.eu/article/society/russians-searching-new-motherland
Emigration from Russia has been growing steadily in recent years. However, the question of who is satisfied with life after emigration and what Russians are looking for in the 28 EU member states still remains open.
Author:
Olga Gulina
In Russia, the historical era of Peter I was heralded by cutting off the beards of the clergy, shipbuilding and the ‘opening of the window to Europe’. Since then, Europe has been Russia’s comrade, ally and sometimes its rival, but it has always constituted a coveted ‘haven’ for Russians. Europe accepted several waves of Russian and Soviet emigration which were always prompted by internal political events in Russia. The onset of the 21st century did not change much in the trajectory and nature of migration flows between Russia and Europe.
Russians in Europe: tourists or emigrants
The statistics for the first quarter of 2014 and the first quarter of 2015 are relentless: the proportion of Russians drawn to Europe for travel purposes is falling whereas the number of those leaving Russia for permanent residence in other countries is growing. In 2014, 308,475 Russians left for permanent residence abroad compared to the 186,382 who emigrated in 2013 – a smaller number by far. The number of emigrants in 2013-2014 already exceeded the figure for 1999 when Russia ‘lost’ 214,963 of its people.
The desire of Russians to leave their country is not expected to diminish. According to the poll by VCIOM (the Russian Public Opinion Research Center) as of September 14, 2015, 45% of Russians out of 13% VCIOM respondentsand 59% of Muscovites out of 17% VCIOM respondents are prepared to emigrate and have already made efforts to get on the move. Factors affecting emigration sentiments include the desire to move to a place with a more favorable climate (12%) and higher living standards (11%), political and economic situation in the country (11%), dissatisfaction with the decisions of the authorities (10%), the lack of care on the part of the state (9%), unemployment and the lack of prospects for career advancement (9%).
Emigration should not be confused with tourism. According to data by Rosstat, major destinations of emigration among Russians (as of the first quarter 2015) include Finland (786,158 people), Estonia (336,663), Poland (285,558) and Germany (285,362). Whereas the favorite tourist destinations for Russians have been, and still are, Germany (141,007 people), Italy (101,294), Spain (68,462) and the Czech Republic (60,097).