‘You could call it running away’: For some Russian emigrants, leaving the country was just the beginning. Now they live their lives on the road.

Some Russians who emigrated after the invasion of Ukraine and mobilisation have made constant travel their way of life, rather than settling in one country. Their stories show how leaving Russia can be the start of a longer, uncertain journey shaped by personal circumstances, work and the search for a place to belong.

One interviewee, a zoologist from Orel, was in Kazakhstan in September 2022 to lead a wildlife tour when Russia announced mobilisation. He had brought only a backpack, laptop and change of clothes, and had savings of about 100,000 roubles. He stayed by helping other Russians with paperwork in exchange for accommodation and meals, and described the experience as an adventure.