How many have left Russia from the start of the war, and who are they?

Hundreds of thousands of Russians are estimated to have left their country, from the start of the war in Ukraine, in February of last year.

But who are they, where have they gone, and why are they gone?

Svetlana is her 30th, and was born in a small Russian town.

She moved to Moscow at the age of 18, to study physics at university. After graduation, she worked as a product manager for many companies.

I never thought of leaving, I planned to retire to Moscow”, she said.

I love Russia, and I've enjoyed life there”

Russians have been leaving their country even before the start of the war in Ukraine, including those who have disagreed with Moscow's decision to annex the Ukrainian Crimea Peninsula in 2014, as well as new laws that facilitate procedures to punish dissidents.

Many of them are headed for Baltic states, European Union states, or even Georgia.

For Svetlana, the war started in 2022 in Ukraine has been a turning point.

When the war started, I realized it wouldn't end soon and people couldn't go on protests. Both emotionally and rationally, it's better to leave”, she said.

Svetlana is now in Belgrade, Serbia's capital.

“I've tried to distance as much of the authorities as possible from”.

Many other Russians have the same experience.

The first wave of departure from Russia was registered in March and April last year.

Most fugitives have told British broadcasters BBC, they're against the war, and they're disappointed why the Russians haven't been out in the protests.

Feeling isolated and at risk, they have thought of leaving as the best solution.

Russian President Vladimir Putin launched military mobilization in September 2022.

Although it was described by authorities as partial “”, it actually meant that most men were at risk of recruiting.

Many reports have said that the recruit has been forwarded with poor training and lack of equipment.

The men, along with their families, have driven to borders, creating long lines at Russian borders with Georgia and Kazakhstan.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has denied that the Russians have fled largely to avoid recruiting.

In April, Russian authorities have introduced a <x0 call online”, which means recruits will be sent online, not physically.

Peskov denied, too, that this digital system was created to stop the flow of men leaving.

How many have gone, and where?

There is no precise data on how many people have left Russia, but it is estimated that the figure amounts to over a million.

In May, the British Defence Ministry has estimated that 1.3 million people have left Russia in 2022.

In other estimates, the figures are similar.

The American magazine Forbes quoted several sources within Russian authorities as saying that between 600,000 and one million people have fled in 2022.

The Bell and Each independent Russian media has published similar data.

Fleeing from Russia can become relatively easy as long as you have money, and you have not been summoned to serve in the military.

But finding a permanent place of life is a difficult process.

Months before the start of war, many states, including those of the European Union, as well as the United States, have made it difficult for Russians to apply for visas unless they have families or travel for work reasons.

In many countries like Georgia and Armenia, Russians have not faced such restrictions and have been able to go to them when they wanted to. And those measures are still in effect.

In other countries, including Kazakhstan, laws have changed this year to halt the influx of Russian immigrants.

Kazakhstan is among the states that have determined the number of days the Russians can stay as tourists there.

Without a prospect of return to Russia, each time many Russians must apply for residence permits so that they can work in other states, although some are trying to work from homes for Russian employers.

In the past 15 months, about 155,000 Russians have received temporary permission to stay in EU states, in several Balkan countries, in the Caucasus and Central Asia.

About 17,000 have applied for political asylum in EU countries, but only about 2,000 have arranged the documents, according to the EU Agency for Asia.

Russia's Interior Ministry has said that in 2022, the number of people applying for foreign passports has increased by 40 percent compared to the previous year.

I'm terrified of the idea of killing people.

From the start of the war, The BBC has talked to dozens of Russians who have left their homeland.

They have different backgrounds. Some are journalists, but there are also experts in information technology, designers, artists, academics, lawyers, doctors, experts in public relations and linguistics.

Most are under 50.

Most believe in liberal Western values and hope Russia will one day be democratic state.

Some belong to the LGBT+ (homossexual, lesbian, bisexual and transgiar community).

Sociologists, who are studying the current migration to Russia, have said that there are data that among those who are leaving are young, wealthy, and more advanced education.

Most of the time, they're from the big cities.

For example, one of them, Thomas, is from St Petersburg.

I'm a pacifist and I'm terrified of being sent somewhere to kill people. I'm against Russia's policies against Ukraine since 2014. The invasion and murder of civilians are unacceptable”, he has said.

After the start of the war in Ukraine, he has posted anti-war positions on his social networking accounts, as well as joined street protests.

As a homosexual, he is concerned about his own safety.

After Russia passed the laws on gay propaganda and false news about the Russian Army, I knew my life was at stake”, he said.

Thomas applied for political asylum in Sweden, and tried to tell authorities why his return to Russia is dangerous.

His application has been rejected, but he has appealed the verdict.

And since I have a limited right to discuss with the state lawyer, I'm also working on collecting evidence for my” case.

For Sergei, Russian from the southern city of Rostov-on-Don, problems are of a different nature.

He now lives in Tbilisi, Georgia.

The day the war started, he talked to some friends, and they all agreed that war means bad news.

Despite what would happen in the future, it was known that the economy would undergo”, he said.

We met a week later and made a decision to evacuate”.

In the course of days, Sergei has shown how he felt the war closer to him.

We have seen many military equipment on the road to Ukraine. Hospitals were full of wounded. The airport in Rostov was closed to civilians, but there were a lot of other planes, and we knew where they're going”.

In September, after Putin's talk of mobilization, Sergei's mother, who criticized him for not being a patriot enough, called him and said: Pack up and go”.

Sergei has been driving all night to Georgia, where he is living.

My wife and child are still in Russia. I have to pay for their expenses and my residence here. I keep two jobs one from home to my company in Russia, and another, for a small business of a friend”.

Sergei has said he is saving money to get his family out of Russia for another country.

His wife, who originally hesitated, has now agreed that they must start a new life elsewhere.

What does this mean for Russia?

Russian authorities have tried to reduce any eventual impact of the flight of thousands of Russians educated with their money, but still, the impact has.

Russia's largest private bank, Alpha Bank, estimates that 1.5 percent of all Russian workers' power may have left the country.

Most of those who have left are professionals in their sectors.

Even companies, meanwhile, have complained about small numbers of available workers and difficulties in recruiting.

Russia's Central Bank has reported in the early stages of war that the Russians have withdrawn about $15 billion from their accounts.

This scale has not been seen in Russia since the 2008 global financial crisis.

Economist Sergei Smirnov of Russia's Academy of Sciences believes the trend shows that more skilled individuals will aim to leave the state.

There will be more demand that people fix cars or make shoes. I don't want apocalypse scenarios, but I believe that something like that will affect productivity in the Russian economy as long as it's going to drop”.

According to him, these trends will initially affect larger cities, such as Moscow, St Petersburg and Jekaterinburg.

The largest part of Russian territory will not notice these transformations because living standards in small towns, towns and villages have always been lower, and will continue to be”.

Meanwhile, Svetlana, in Belgrade, has no plans to return to Russia.

I'm working for a new company in Moldova, but I recently applied for a job in Holland”.

Sergei in Tbilisi is applying for various jobs in Europe.

Right now, his life is hard.

I don't have a day off, sometimes I don't even have enough time to sleep, I sleep in car”

Thomas, in Sweden, hopes he will not be forced back to Russia, where he fears he might be abused.

He's learning Swedish so he can find a job.