What is life like for Westerners in Russia amid the war in Ukraine?
A month ago, Mark*, a British teacher in Moscow, was making holiday plans with his expatriate friends.
Then, days later, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered troops into Ukraine and everything changed.
Mark says most of his expatriate friends -- including those with whom he was making travel plans -- have now left.
“I’ve spoken with people who’ve been here for years and have families and have been through a lot, but the Ukrainian invasion is too much,” said Mark, who moved to Russia at the end of 2019. “Even if there is a sense of being protected in Moscow, the risk they feel they’re taking is in relation to war,” he said. “You don’t mess around with that.”
There are no figures for how many expatriates have left, but many of the people Euronews spoke to said a majority of foreigners they knew had left in the last month.
While many Ukrainians have found their lives shattered by war and displacement in the last four weeks, everyday life in Russia’s capital has largely continued as normal. Schools in Moscow are open, the metro is running, and workers are going to their offices.
“No Russian could imagine anyone attacking Russia,” said Sebastien*, a long-term Moscow resident from Germany who works at an accountancy firm. "In terms of day-to-day safety, I don't think they have any real fear.”
Mark, however, said people are nervous about martial law being imposed, which would likely involve the closure of Russian borders, the conscription of younger Russian men and even more powers for the state to censor public information.
Originally from Armagh in Northern Ireland, Hugh McEnaney has been living with his Russian wife in Moscow since 2007, where he runs an English teaching and coaching business.
“My home, my business and my life
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