Russians discuss how travel modified after the Ukraine invasion

Over the past yr, it has been tougher and costlier for Russians to travel abroad.

But some say that is only the start of their fears.

Amid growing anti-Russian sentiment, several Russian residents spoke to CNBC Travel about their worries, how they’re treated while traveling and what goes through their minds when people ask where they’re from.

Yulia Azarova, an independent journalist, said she left Russia a yr ago. She said she fled Moscow for Istanbul after the invasion of Ukraine before finally settling in Lithuania.

“I had to depart my very own country” or risk prison, she said. “We needed to pack our things in at some point and leave.”

Since then, Azarova has said that she has been to Latvia twice, but cannot go to Ukraine, where she has relatives. Her Russian friends met her problems with attending to Polandshe said while her colleagues were prevented from entering Georgia, possibly out of loyalty to Putin.

Anna – who asked us not to make use of her real name due to fear of “unforeseeable consequences” – has the other problem. She said that she is in Moscow and doesn’t know when she’s going to leave Russia again.

“Normally I’d visit one to 2 countries a yr,” she said. But now “travelling somewhere abroad seems unimaginable and not possible.”

She said traveling, especially airfare, could be very expensive. In addition, “Russian bank cards are blocked almost all over the place, and buying foreign currency in Russia could be very difficult.”

As for when he plans to go abroad again: “Probably when the war is over.”

Another Russian traveler, Lana, also asked us not to make use of her full name resulting from fears of retaliation from the Russian authorities. She lives in Asia and planned to return home last summer for the primary time because the starting of the pandemic, she said.

However, she said she canceled her trip after the invasion of Ukraine, despite the fact that her parents had not seen her child in years.

“I didn’t know what was going to occur,” she said, adding that the danger of borders being closed or flights being canceled prompted her decision.

Instead of going home, Lana traveled across Asia to places like Thailand and Japan.

“It’s really hard to go abroad and meet recent individuals who think you are a Russian person – and the way people will react to that,” Lana said.

She said when people ask where she’s from, there is a “moment of anticipation” that did not exist when she was young.

“Then whenever you say “I’m from Russia”, the very first thing people say is vodka, bears, matryoshka [dolls]and all those innocent things,” she said. “You feel like yes, I’m from Russia – that is cool.”

But it’s different now, she said. During the trip, she prepared herself for negative comments. However, to this point none have come, she said. Rather, she said people offered words of sympathy and concern.

Lana may need been lucky. AND anger against Russia has covered parts of the world, from Europe to the United States, with incidents that the Russian government has used to fuel nationalism within the country.

“Not everyone understands that government, country and folks will not be at all times the identical thing,” she said. “Let’s say you are with… [the United] United States, I mean, you may not support Trump in any case, right? The same thing has been happening in Russia for the last, probably 10 years.”

Anna said that telling recent people she was Russian “to be honest, it was at all times difficult, even before the war.”

She said Russians were “prejudice and stigma”, describing cases in Polish restaurants where waiters refused to serve her after noticing her Russian guide. Then she began to cover her nationality more, she said.

She said the query of where she’s from might be even harder once she starts traveling abroad again.

“After the war, I’ll probably be much more afraid of this query, because I’ll immediately feel the necessity to start out explaining myself, afraid of a negative and aggressive response.”

Azarova agreed that it’s difficult to fulfill foreigners, especially as she struggles along with her own “guilt”.

“You understand that you simply personally have not done anything fallacious, but you possibly can’t shake the thought that there is something fallacious with you,” she said.

Since leaving Russia, Azarova has said she has not had any confrontations regarding her nationality. However, like Anna, she said she often feels the necessity to quickly say what she thinks concerning the war.

She said talking to foreigners helped her because “you get the sensation that nobody is blaming you.”

Now she’s now not afraid to say she’s Russian, she said, precisely because she will be able to’t do anything about it.

“But I can do something to point out face to Russians who will not be for Putin, who will not be for this war … and who tried to do something to stop it“.

He now covers the war for the news channel Khodorkovsky liveYouTube channel supported by exiled Russian businessman and outstanding critic of the Kremlin, Mikhail Khodorkovsky.

“People are only people,” Lana said, “no matter nationality, passport or citizenship. I actually have lived in several countries. I’ve traveled quite a bit. In my experience, more often than not, stereotypes just don’t work. stand.”

Anna said she wanted the world to know that not all Russians are “madly scary”. They are relatively friendly, welcoming, able to help and willing to be good friends, she said.

“Many of us try hard to alter something, but people should know that it’s indeed difficult and really dangerous … People should know that behind the terrible news about Russia there are tens of millions of Russians who’re suffering, who’re afraid and who’re trapped and who praying for peace every single day.

Azarova said she would love the world to grasp that sanctioning the Russian people, unlike the federal government and ruling elite, is not going to affect Putin.

This is because their opinions don’t influence change, as in a democracy, because “Putin isn’t an elected leader. This is a really, very necessary issue. He was not elected in fair and free elections,” she said.

Besides, Putin doesn’t care what happens to the Russians, she said – their difficulties won’t change anything.

What’s going to be? “If Putin is removed by force,” she said. But “Russians haven’t any … weapons.”

Lana said she is afraid for the long run.

“No… I do not see a way out of the present situation. I’m afraid Russia… has stalled,” she said.

Azarova said that while she misses Moscow dearly, she is slowly accepting that she may never live there again.

“Never mind all the issues… it’s still a really beautiful city with all my childhood memories,” she said.

But she said her home as she knew it “doesn’t exist anymore.”