Monday, October 31, 2022

Russian Flight Benefiting Economies of Russia’s Neighbors While Hurting Russia

Paul Goble

            Staunton, Oct. 28 – The flight of Russians seeking to avoid mobilization and service in Ukraine has weakened the economy of their homeland but boosted that of Russia’s neighbors, Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Mongolia, Turkey and Kyrgyzstan far beyond the recovery officials in these countries had projected.

            The arrival of this unexpected Russian exodus boosted the economy of Armenia from an anemic 1.5 to 2.0 percent growth rate to 11 to 12 percent, Georgia’s economy also rose into the double digit range. Uzbekistan’s did at least that well, and those of Mongolia, Turkey and Kyrgyzstan approached that level as well (ng.ru/economics/2022-10-27/1_8577_mobilization.html and newizv.ru/article/general/28-10-2022/po-zakonu-sohraneniya-migratsiya-iz-strany-oslabila-rossiyu-zato-usilila-ee-sosedey).

            At the same time, the departure of Russians, many of them the most well-educated and highly skilled depressed Russian growth and threatens to have negative consequences well into the future. But despite that, Putin loyalist say they’re traitors and that Moscow doesn’t want them back (stoletie.ru/lenta/matvijenko_sravnila_ujehavshih_iz_strany_rossijan_s_krysami_488.htm).

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