The fourth wave of Russian emigration took place after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 when people began migrating from Russia in large numbers. This wave continues into the present, with the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine leading to considerable Russian emigration associated with the invasion.
In the 1990s, Russia suffered an economic depression. This caused some Russians to leave Russia.[1] Emigration for ethnic reasons was especially strong with ethnic Germans going to Germany, Jews to Israel, and Greeks to Greece.[2]
In the 2000s the flow of emigration gradually declined as the economy recovered, but then, from the starting of the 2010s, new bursts of political emigration arose, associated with the tightening of political rights.[3]
Starting in February 2022, in connection with the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, a new flow of political emigration began, associated with disagreement with the government.[4][5][6] Following the announcement of mobilization on 21 September 2022, a huge surge in emigration from Russia occurred. Tickets to Armenia, Turkey, and Azerbaijan significantly increased, and car queues were formed at the border with Finland, Mongolia, and Kazakhstan.[7][8][9]
as many as 200,000 Russians have left their country since the start of the war.