Due to blockages, many Russians decide to move to Belarus

“I realized that I would not physically survive in these conditions”

Oksana (name changed), lived in the southern region of Russia before moving

I first thought about emigrating back in 2022, when I divorced my husband; I was considering Turkey for moving. But then my daughter was two years old. Mom didn’t want to go with me, and I couldn’t have done it alone. In addition, I thought: where should I move, who will need me there? I wasn’t ready financially either.

At that time I did not yet understand that in Russia the state was pushing the middle class towards social death. But gradually the realization began to dawn that we were simply being used as a consumable material for the economy. The cost of living has become several times higher than the salary.

In addition, all these blockages began. I’m from a city in the south of Russia, international services have been working poorly for us since 2022, but VPN corrected the situation. Then they began to implement “white lists”, and interruptions also began with the VPN. I work online, helping different companies in crisis situations.

Towards evening, the mobile Internet in our city is completely turned off, and if you want to work outside the office in the evening, then you have to be at home at the computer by five or six o’clock. It’s impossible to go out for a walk with your child and finish something at the same time. And since the summer of 2025, communication with the outside world has become completely fragile - VPNs were blocked one after another.

Previously, I had clients not only from Russia, but also from the CIS countries and Eastern Europe. Due to restrictions, maintaining normal communication with such companies has become simply impossible. Not because people from abroad refused to cooperate, but because communication broke down.

As a result, I am forced to work only with companies in Russia. And the Russian market is now going through such times that even large corporations, including international ones, that have production or representative offices in the Russian Federation, are not actively hiring anyone right now. One of my former colleagues - he was the director of sales and marketing in a company that imports special equipment - has not been able to find a job since December 2025.

I realized that I simply could not physically survive in these conditions. I have a child, a mortgage. Working for one company in my city, I would earn a maximum of $1,000, of which $400 would go toward the mortgage. I provide for myself and my child alone. It is impossible to support a family on $600 in Russian realities.

The blackouts also affected my personal life - I periodically lost contact with my boyfriend, although we lived in the same city. Then everyone got used to the fact that you don’t have to communicate with your partner for the entire work week. It feels like imprisonment without the incarceration. You seem to be free, but in fact you are not.

There were days when there was no Internet at all - neither at home, nor in the store, nor anywhere else. You can’t pay anything with a card, contact someone, or work. The authorities explain this in different ways: some brush it off and justify it with drone attacks, some with technical difficulties, others simply say that restrictions are needed. At such moments you realize how dependent you are on the Internet - and how easily you can be cut off from it.

My decision to move was influenced by another factor that is not commonly discussed in Russia. People have already begun to return from the front. It's scary to imagine what condition they are in. I am a woman, I have a daughter. I'm afraid. I don't want to live in an environment where violence becomes widespread.

I finally decided everything for myself after receiving a response from the Russian authorities to my official appeal [to the authorities]. I wrote about the difficult economic situation and the consequences of blocking. I was told that the appeal had been “redirected,” and then the Ministry of Labor received a response in the spirit of “We did everything we could.” It is clear to me that no one is interested in the well-being of citizens.

I started preparing for emigration at the beginning of 2026. If it weren’t for the child, I would go to Poland: I like it because of its economic policy . Plus I have good working contacts from this country. While collaborating with the Poles, I noticed that their customs and logistics companies operate quickly. Although I understand that it’s not so easy to get there now with a Russian passport.

I decided to move to Minsk because of my daughter. She is six years old, and this is the most understandable environment for her to adapt to. She can immediately go to the garden, where everyone will speak Russian. There is English in Minsk gardens, this is also important for me. I explained everything to my daughter about the move: I said that I wouldn’t be able to earn a decent living in Russia.

At first I came to Belarus alone - for reconnaissance: to find a kindergarten, to open a bank account for an individual entrepreneur. And I was just trying to figure out if I could live here.

Leaving Russia was both simple and difficult. I packed my things, sent them by transport company, took my daughter, two suitcases and a laptop - and left. There are no planes flying from my city now, so I had to travel by bus for almost a day.

The hardest thing is not the journey, but leaving your life. The apartment, albeit a mortgage, is your own. I made repairs to it for myself. Now I rent it out with virtually no income. I had to give up my inheritance, which was not allowed to be processed due to old property issues. It felt like you were throwing away what was rightfully yours and couldn’t do anything about it.

At the new location, housing problems immediately arose. Nobody really wants to rent out apartments to people without Belarusian documents. That’s what they say in the advertisements: only for citizens of the Republic of Belarus. In addition, I came across an unscrupulous landlord: the advertisement said one thing, but in reality the conditions turned out to be different. I had to contact the police to get my money back. I have already moved to another apartment, and now I am trying to figure out how to buy a house in the village. This would allow me to easily obtain a residence permit in the future (this can also be done through an employer , but I don’t want to get a job here).

During the first weeks of living in Belarus, I found several good international work contacts - simply because there is a stable connection here. I recently advised a client from Poland and earned $300 in about an hour.

My daughter adapts quite easily. We have always traveled a lot, she has already visited six countries. Unfortunately, she hasn’t made any friends yet, because we’re always alone together, and we haven’t collected all the certificates for kindergarten yet. But she is getting used to the new place.

For those who are thinking about whether to move to Belarus, I will say this: if there is another choice, it is better to make it. I don’t have much experience interacting with Belarusians yet, but looking at the same landlords, it seemed to me that they were some kind of Soviet mentality, infantile people. They like to shift responsibility onto each other and do not complete anything. For example, when I was looking for a new apartment, potential landlords simply did not want to solve the problem, they say, rent what you have.

When looking for a house in the village, difficulties arose with registering the land: citizens of other states do not have the right to buy land in Belarus as their own - only on lease from the municipality. I turned to agents for help, I’m waiting, but they don’t respond for several days. So I’m already dissatisfied with the level of service: there is a feeling of “Sovietism” both in thinking and in approaches. On the other hand, Belarus is a good place to live, there are a lot of nice people here, although I haven’t become particularly close to them yet. I feel that just two or three months of living here will allow me to recover. Minsk's atmosphere reminds me of Russia in 2008–2011. It was the most relaxed time, no pressure - just the feeling that you could just live. Basic expenses - taxis, clothing, food, restaurants - are 10-15% cheaper than in Russia. Rental prices are about the same as in my region. And it’s even easier to buy different equipment.

I don’t study the Belarusian language and don’t intend to, because I don’t plan to obtain citizenship here. Firstly, you can’t have two passports here, and secondly, I already have two.

I'm not worried about politics in Belarus. Recently Alexander Grigorievich [Lukashenko] visited Pyongyang, and in general I understand his train of thought: he is trying to be friends with everyone in order to preserve the independence of Belarus. I don't see anything wrong with this. But if something here changes for the worse - for example, Internet blocking begins, like in Russia - of course, I will be upset and will have to leave for another country. Perhaps to Georgia, Poland, Vietnam or the USA to visit friends - I don’t know yet. I can’t imagine how anyone can survive there if, for example, I don’t have income for one or two months. In Georgia this is much more difficult than in Belarus, where education is free for children .

Moving for me is not about “where is best,” but about where you can live and not be afraid.

I have almost no one left in Russia, and I don’t plan to return there. Until the situation changes, I don’t see any point in even going on vacation to my beloved Sochi. If you look at it soberly, a change of power will not change anything quickly. The system is in disrepair, and the next 15–20 years, and maybe more, will be very difficult in Russia - economically, socially, psychologically.

“My relatives hope that one day I will get tired of living abroad and return back”

Olga, before moving she lived in Verkhny Ufaley, Chelyabinsk region

When I was choosing where to go on vacation in August 2025, I settled on Grodno. Belarus was the country of my childhood dreams, and Grodno was a city that I had long wanted to see with my own eyes. Since childhood, I dreamed of visiting the Old Castle , so I decided to go there. Two weeks flew by like a dream. The beauty and history of the city fascinated me.

At that time, no one imagined that communications and the Internet in the Russian Federation could become as unstable as they are now.

Before moving from Russia, I worked in a management position in the field of postal services, my income directly depended on access to the Internet. Therefore, [when restrictions and disruptions began in the Chelyabinsk region in December 2025, it greatly affected my life and work. I realized that something needed to change. And I remembered Grodno.

There was practically no preparation for the move - just one morning I firmly decided to fly and within two weeks [at the end of December] I was back in Grodno. The most difficult thing was leaving my family and work behind: my position did not involve moving to another country and remote work.

The husband and son remained in Russia. I didn’t try to persuade them to go with me: my husband has work, my son has school. My loved ones worry about me and still hope that one day I will get tired of living abroad and return back. It seems to them that my move is more of a protracted trip or a kind of experiment, rather than the beginning of a new life in another country.

The first thing I encountered in Grodno was the lack of information on how to obtain a residence permit in Belarus. All necessary documents must be done in different organizations scattered throughout the city. It was difficult to know where to start [collecting documents]. I’m still applying for a residence permit—that is, for about six months now.

I follow politics in Belarus, but I don’t want to comment on it.

The most unexpected and unpleasant thing for me was the prices - they are very inflated. Payment for any service surprises you every time. The search for housing was stunned by strange requirements: no children, no animals, preferably working people. Finding rental housing without a residence permit is a quest. Hotels and daily apartments are ready to accommodate anyone, but the price per day is comparable to paying for a room at a resort.

At the same time I was looking for a job. I sent responses to various vacancies: teacher, manager - except that I didn’t consider factories. In some places you need at least two years of work experience, in others the salary is not satisfactory. It costs me 600 Belarusian rubles for an apartment, and in many vacancies it was indicated no more than 800 .

It's disappointing that a growing and developing city offers such low wages. In addition, not all employers are ready to cooperate with foreigners, and I have not come across any companies that provide [dorm] rooms for women, although there is such an option for male laborers. At some point I felt like a stranger among my own people.

With great difficulty I found a job - in the postal sector; but the salary really upsets me.

Despite the fact that many locals are good-natured, polite and nice people, finding a social circle turned out to be difficult: people are wary of visitors. And yet Belarus is a new home where I would like to stay. Having lived longer, I will be able to decide where life is more comfortable and enjoyable for me - here or in Russia.

"Shore"