A new group of Russians has come to Finland in recent months. They are driven by the ever-increasing political pressure from Russia, not so much by a recession threatening the economy.
Elsa Osipova,
Simo Ortamo
The war in Ukraine was the last rivet for the Russian Filipp Štšelkanoville.
He had already considered leaving Russia before, but the attack on Ukraine caused him to pack his backpack and leave his homeland.
Researchers estimate that 200,000 Russians have left Russia in the past three months. Like Shchelkanov, the majority of them are young and politically active.
Researchers at the University of Helsinki, the European University Institute in Florence and the European University in St. Petersburg surveyed the backgrounds and opinions of the entrants through an extensive survey.
Scholars have called migration an anti-war wave.
– Most oppose Putin and the ruling party United Russia, and no one supports the war, says researcher Margarita Zavadskaya From the Alexander Institute of the University of Helsinki.
The researchers stress that their results are not a scientifically representative sample of those who left in recent months. The survey link has been disseminated, among other things, to networks with more than average young and politically active migrants. 2,000 people responded to the survey.
The activist is not afraid of judgment, but the torture is appalling
Shchelkanov, 34, has been involved in political demonstrations in Russia since 2005. He has marched for both nature conservation and minority rights. Shchelkanov, who also served as an election observer, has also been on duty in the courts and demanded an impartial trial of the detainees.
– I’m a full-time activist. I did various part-time jobs in Russia, but the purpose of the work has always been to fund activism, Shchelkanov says.
Shchelkanov is openly opposed to the Russian regime, and the security authorities are aware of this.
– To my knowledge, the authorities have an entry in the register because I have spent a considerable amount of time in demonstrations. If they wished, they could easily commit a criminal case against me.
Shchelkanov says civic activism in Russia is a lottery. A protester opposing the war in Ukraine may survive with fines or police may appear at the door with a search warrant.
A protester can be arrested and beaten, but equally there may be an authority to help make a complaint about the arrest.
In the worst case, the activist could be sentenced to years in prison on a fabricated criminal charge.
Shchelkanov left because he felt the risk of being caught and sentenced to prison was high.
– I am not afraid of a prison sentence per se, but I am horrified by the torture in prisons.
Shchelkanov says the Russian judicial system is badly corrupt and there is chaos in prisons. It is not possible to know in advance whether the spoons of time would be peaceful or whether they would be tortured, raped or even killed in prison.
Comes with a backpack and seven bags of ready-made porridge
More than half of the respondents to the survey said that their current place of residence was chosen by chance. After the start of the war in Ukraine, flights to Western Europe were cut off and many did not have a valid visa.
Shchelkanov also ended up in Finland by chance. When the war broke out, the man woke up to anti-war demonstrations being discussed in activist circles. At the same time, people shared tips on how to get out of Russia without raising doubts.
At first, Shchelkanov considered a flight to Georgia, but due to sanctions, air ticket prices skyrocketed.
When a tourist visa to Finland was arranged at the beginning of March, Shchelkanov left immediately. He had a backpack, two books, clothes and porridge with him.
– I was wondering how many bags of porridge I could bring with me to make me look like a tourist. 50 bags of porridge would certainly have raised doubts, so I took seven.
Shchelkanov obtained a PCR test and bought a train ticket for the Allegro train from St. Petersburg. In March, he was only allowed to come to Finland for necessary reasons. Shchelkanov tried to explain to a Finnish official that he was seeking protection from Finland.
The man was not allowed on the train. In the end, Shchelkanov got across the border by car.
– In Finland, I have felt a huge sense of security. It feels like the tension in my neck all my life has finally eased.
Russia is suffering from a brain drain
As many as four out of five respondents to the researchers’ survey were highly educated, and almost half worked in the IT sector. Many of the departures are very subsistence. Russia is therefore losing exactly the skills that an economy suffering from sanctions would need the most.
Many have set up networks and organizations that seek to influence the political situation in Russia.
Shchelkanov has continued activism from Finland. He is currently developing a phone application that would help Russian civil society organize.
Shchelkanov says the war in Ukraine erupted in part because Russian civil society failed.
He finds the current situation depressing. Some days he hasn’t even gotten out of bed.
– As a civil society, we have failed. We do not believe in change and fear that no one will come with us to the streets to demand change. We’re too scared when we shouldn’t be afraid, and that’s our weakness, he says.
Shchelkanov says many of his loved ones went abroad, but there are still activists in Russia who are fighting for democracy regardless of possible prison sentences.
Finland is too expensive for the majority
Supporter Margarita Zavadskaya says that most Russians who have arrived in Finland do not intend to stay in Finland because the country is expensive for them. Many are likely to continue to cheaper European countries such as Serbia and southern Europe.
Shchelkanov first thought that he would stay in Finland for a week and then continue to Poland, for example.
His tourist visa is about to expire and he is still in Finland. Shchelkanov says he has applied for asylum, even though he tries not to deserve it.
He would return to Russia immediately if the current administration were run down and replaced by fairly elected candidates.
However, change should also take root at the grassroots level.
He fears the Kremlin will hold its own, even the president Vladimir Putin would be marginalized. In the worst case, Putin would be replaced by another monarch.
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