Several hundred thousand people left Russia after February 2022, and their arrival has already affected GDP growth in smaller popular destinations such as Armenia, Georgia, and Serbia. IT specialists brought an influx of foreign currency, investors heated up real estate markets, and entrepreneurs started thousands of companies. In parallel, emigrants are transforming the local cultural environment — opening their own bookstores, theaters, and clubs, often making a nice addition to the local context. The flip side of these changes has been a surge in housing prices, which is now forcing some local residents to migrate as well.Contents1.Where Russians settled2.How the immigrants are affecting host economies3.Serbia: Russians are not willing to overpay4.Armenia: the rental split5.Georgia: money came, prices rose6.Cultural life7.Tightening the rules for immigrantsWhere Russians settledReliable data on the total number of Russians who left the country after February 2022 is hard to come by. Statistics of the Federal Security Service count the number of border crossings — 23.2 million exits by Russian citizens in 2022 and 31.5 million in 2025. However, these figures mostly count the number of tourists as their travel destinations confirm: in 2025 the leaders were Turkey (6.6 million), the UAE (1.7 million), Egypt (1.6 million), China (1.3 million), and Thailand (886,000). Among these countries, only Turkey and the UAE are also popular for emigration.Based on data from host countries, the number of Russians who emigrated in 2022 can be estimated at 600,000—650,000 people. Kazakhstan led in terms of inflow (146,000), followed by Armenia (110,000), Turkey (77,000), Israel (75,000), Georgia (74,000), and Serbia (around 30,000).However, the statistics here are not entirely accurate either, as each country counts immigrants differently: Georgia includes stays exceeding 180 days, Armenia focuses on the registration of social services cards and banking activity, Kazakhstan counts the number of individual identification numbers issued, Turkey looks at residence permits, while Israel only counts passports obtained by migrants.Methodology changes in Armenia only add to the confusion. In 2022, the country recorded 110,000 emigrants from Russia, but in 2025 the number of newcomers dropped to 1,400 — simply because they switched to counting by residence permits, which are much harder to obtain. Serbia has issued 67,000 one-year temporary residence permits, but it is unknown how many of them were renewals. In short, all estimates of the number of Russian emigrants should be considered approximate at best.To track the emigration trajectories, the independent think tank Center for Analysis and Strategies in Europe (CASE) developed three models: transit (arriving in one country with a plan to move to another within 6—18 months), anchoring (deciding to stay in the host country, obtaining a residence permit or passport, integrating into the local labor market), and circulation (frequently moving between two or three countries without a clear plan of settlement). According to the research findings, while the “transit” model dominated in 2022—2023, in 2024—2025 the share of those “anchoring” began to grow.Importantly, the majority of Russians who left their home country in 2022—2024 were highly skilled professionals, according to the 2025 report of the OutRush project, which based its findings on a survey of 8,500 emigrants across more than 100 host countries. 41% of respondents turned out to be from the IT sector, and another 21% worked in culture, science, and media. According to the findings, approximately 7% of those who left started their own business after relocating, and 28% plan to do so in the future.Moreover, the researchers conclude that, “contrary to official statements about the number of returnees, reversing the brain drain in the short term appears unlikely”: from summer 2023 to summer 2024, only 8% of respondents moved back to Russia. Among those who do not plan to return in the near future, 54% said doing so would be possible only if there is political change in the country.How the immigrants are affecting host economiesAs a rule, an influx of immigrants accelerates GDP growth, increases productivity, and stimulates innovation in host countries — both developed and developing ones. But this is conditional on people being able to work legally and the state conducting an active integration policy. A meta-analysis of 41 studies published in Economies (MDPI) illustrates this reality.In Armenia, Georgia, and Serbia, Russian émigrés have occupied a noticeable share of the labor market and consumer demand. As a result, the average annual GDP growth rate in Georgia from 2022-2024 spiked to 9.4% after averaging 4.4% between 2012 and 2021. Since the start of the war, Armenia’s average annual GDP growth rate increased from 3.6% to 9%, and Serbia’s, from 2.1% to 3.5%.Newcomers are often “fiscally positive” — meaning they bring additional revenue for the budget, CASE writes. After all, aside from very rare exceptions, they do not receive social benefits, but they do pay indirect and sometimes direct taxes (especially in Serbia).Migrants from Russia do not receive social benefits, but they pay indirect and direct taxes