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Elnur Enveroglu

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The Russian-Ukrainian war has had an impact on the economic, political and demographic situation in the region and the world. During the last year and a half, rich people and officials in Russia have been migrating to different countries in order to avoid military conscription. At the same time, the large influx of Russians to foreign countries has also benefited some countries. One of them is Armenia...

According to the information provided by some sources, the lowest-income people in Russia turn to Armenia as a last resort. This refers to people who work for wages and want to earn daily.

So, Russian citizens who go to Yerevan are looking for rental houses first, and then jobs. On the one hand, this displeases the local community, but on the other hand, it has become a source of income for a certain class.

In addition, such a slang has already appeared in Armenia: "these Russians". But why are some Armenians dissatisfied with "these Russians" as emphasised in their language?

According to a survey conducted among local people, while many people in Yerevan cannot find work for themselves, the Russians occupy some vacancies. For example, in the last few months, Russians have started to operate in IT, repair and various services in Yerevan, which caused dissatisfaction of the unemployed local population. At the same time, Armenians are very dissatisfied with Russians occupying their homes. Armenians complain that Russians own and rent the best houses in Yerevan. And the local people get a small profit from it by renting cheaper places for themselves.

As for the profiteers, a different picture can be found here. Thus, an Armenian citizen named Parandzem Vartanyan notes that the influx of Russians to Yerevan has led to an increase in the price of real estate and other products.

“Russians, especially IT people, can afford to pay rent, like in Moscow or Berlin. And the Armenian owners profit from this. But we do not have the opportunity to live with dignity.

Our rent went up from 220 euros a month to 550 euros, we moved for the first time. Then more upgrades. We have already moved three times. As a result, the whole family moved to the garage for 150 euros per month,” the 36-year-old nurse Parandzem Vartanyan said.

As local residents told the publication, prices in the Yerevan real estate market have doubled or even tripled. Often began to come across advertisements for renting an apartment "for a Russian family." This immediately reminded the Armenians of the post-Soviet times, when in Russia their compatriots were faced with ads that offended them “I will rent housing to the Slavs”.

A young Muscovite, Matvey, who arrived in Yerevan in March 2022, said that he paid 1,500 euros for rent in Moscow, but here he pays 1,700 euros to live in the city center.

At present, in the case of widespread unemployment in Armenia, the creation of such an opportunity for the local residents is like a “heavenly food sent from the heavens to the people of Israel”. During the survey among Armenians, there were even those who wanted the war to continue. They note that after the Karabakh war, the situation in Armenia has become much more tense. There is no population left in the country, many young people died in the war, and the rest fled the country in different ways.

Making a profit in Armenia today is a miracle. For this reason, although Armenia celebrate the arrival of Russians to the country as a great party, on the other hand, they see themselves as humiliated beings in the world.

“They come to us, live better than us, they speak Russian everywhere. Sometimes they behave very arrogantly, although they might be ashamed of the fact that because of them prices have tripled. For them, this promotion is nothing, but for us it is just the destruction of our usual life,” Taron, a resident of Yerevan has told French media.

In addition, the opinions of many Russians who moved to Yerevan were published in the media. According to their general views, Armenia is a place of last resort for them. Otherwise, living in Armenia is extremely risky.

The Russian female immigrant notes that Armenians are more conservative and criminally inclined than Russians. For example, a Russian woman living in Yerevan says that she feels very anxious while walking among local residents. Because the society pays a lot of attention to her clothes and the expensive jewelry she wears, and in some cases, she is even asked questions about her income. And finally the conversation ends like this: “Get back to your Russia.”

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Elnur Enveroglu is AzerNews’ deputy editor-in-chief, follow him on @ElnurMammadli1

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