Statues of Matryoshka dolls near a Mediterranean beach in Antalya, Turkey, on August 7. This small park is known as Matryoshka Park. More than half of the traditional Russian dolls have gone missing since vandals destroyed them after Russia invaded Ukraine.
Diego Cupolo / NurPhoto via Reuters
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Diego Cupolo / NurPhoto via Reuters
Statues of Matryoshka dolls near a Mediterranean beach in Antalya, Turkey, on August 7. This small park is known as Matryoshka Park. More than half of the traditional Russian dolls have gone missing since vandals destroyed them after Russia invaded Ukraine.
Diego Cupolo / NurPhoto via Reuters
ANTALYA, Turkey – Near Antalya’s Mediterranean beach is a small park called Matryoshka Park, with a large sculpture of traditional Russian nesting dolls. More than half of the sculpture’s dolls are now missing, as vandals destroyed them after Russia invaded Ukraine.
Turkey is one of the countries from which Russians are fleeing under Russian President Vladimir Putin’s plan to mobilize an additional 300,000 troops to support his war in Ukraine. The exodus can be felt acutely in Antalya, a large city on the southwestern coast of Turkey. It’s an old Russian tourist attraction that’s now becoming a refuge for those who don’t want to fight in war.
Anti-war Russians began moving here in March, shortly after their country’s invasion of Ukraine. The current flow is larger and is known as the “second wave” in the local Russian community. The entire population in the area near Matryoshka Park is now mostly Russian. It is the language heard on the streets and seen on signs and restaurant menus.
Two young Russians wandered around the park, looking as if they had just stepped off a plane – backpacks and clothes on because the weather was much colder than Antalya’s 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Like many Russian men around the city today, they were easily recognizable as having escaped the draft, with their meager belongings, winter clothing, and stunned expressions.
These two men are from Kazan, in the semi-autonomous Tatarstan region in southwestern Russia. They do not want to reveal their names, for fear of being punished by the Russian government.
“It’s dangerous for any man,” said one of the men, 25. “It doesn’t matter if you’re old, have more than three children, and have no military experience. All men are in danger.”
Tourists, mainly from Russia, at the arrivals terminal at Antalya International Airport in the Mediterranean resort city of Antalya on September 22, a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the draft for Ukraine. .
Kaan Soyturk / Reuters
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Tourists, mainly from Russia, at the arrivals terminal at Antalya International Airport in the Mediterranean resort city of Antalya on September 22, a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the draft for Ukraine. .
Kaan Soyturk / Reuters
As Tatars, they have heard that the new Russian embargo falls on ethnic minorities like themselves, more than Russians living in big cities like Moscow or St.Petersburg. They said they knew many friends who were besieged despite their staunch resistance to the war.
“This is the Russian government’s war, not the Russian people’s. My problem is not just mobilization, it’s war. I have relatives in Ukraine and this is a disgusting situation for all of us. both of us,” said another man. is 26.
Life is getting more and more complicated for Russians in Turkey
These men have been in Antalya for two weeks – after leaving Russia shortly after Putin’s draft announcement – and still feel as out of place in Turkey as the others who just arrived today. They have left their families behind and have no future plans. They did not find answers to many of their questions.
“We need to solve a lot of problems, mainly about how to live in Antalya,” the 25-year-old said.
Lately, things have gotten more complicated for Russians in Turkey. Residence laws are getting stricter in the city, making it harder to legally live and work here.
Another big problem is money. After facing pressure and threats of secondary sanctions from the West, Turkish banks have suspended the Mir payment system – Russia’s version of Mastercard and Visa – making it harder for Russians to receive money. or even pay by card at Turkish restaurants.
There is only one way of transferring cash that Russians can access in Antalya – the Golden Crown, a Russian money transfer system. There’s never a long line of Russians ahead, but the maximum each person can withdraw per day is $200.
Russian tourists also choose to stay in Turkey indefinitely
The Russians continued to come to Antalya in large numbers. According to the provincial governor, up to 19,000 Russians come here every day. Some are on the run from the draft and others are tourists who decide to stay.
Beach in Antalya on a recent Sunday.
Fatma Tanis / NPR
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Fatma Tanis / NPR
Beach in Antalya on a recent Sunday.
Fatma Tanis / NPR
Turkish travel agencies that work exclusively with Russians told NPR they have seen a significant increase in single men booking long stays. But holidaymakers also did not board flights back to Russia, and some return flights were half-empty.
One man who chose to stay was a 34-year-old from Moscow. He was afraid to reveal his name, but told NPR he bought a ticket to Turkey a few days after the draft, spent several thousand dollars, and left in a hurry. He didn’t even have time to inform his bosses, who didn’t know he was leaving the company.
“Tomorrow, when I have a Skype call, I will surprise them,” he said, laughing.
Like all other combat-age men who tried to leave, he also faced questioning by authorities at the Moscow airport.
“I saw some people were diverted off the floor and taken to a separate room,” he said. “I can’t see what happened to them but I have a feeling they’re not allowed to leave.”
He was one of the lucky ones because he wasn’t drafted by the time he left – and he bought his flight as a travel package so he could claim to be a tourist. calendar when asked why he left.
But unlike other men who fled to Turkey and told NPR they would never return to Russia, this man said he would return if Russia lost the war – something he We believe that is possible, as long as Russia continues to use conventional weapons.
“I’ll be back then, because we have to rebuild,” he said. “We have to vote for new people who will choose a different path. And one day, maybe when I’m old, people will visit Russia again, because it’s a beautiful place.”
The only option he can make now, he said, is to leave and not be forced to kill people in a war he doesn’t believe in.
