As many as a million Russians fled for abroad in the first year of the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine. Now, thousands are returning home, delivering a propaganda victory to President Vladimir Putin and a boost to his war economy.
With the war still raging, and the man who started it about to assume another six-year term in power, many Russians are confronting a difficult choice.
Facing rejections when renewing residence permits, difficulties with transferring work and money abroad, and limited destinations that still welcome them, they’re opting to end their self-exile.