War in Ukraine: Istanbul, the refuge of Russian exiles threatened in their country

Rémy Trieau (in Istanbul), edited by Solène Leroux 08:52, March 21, 2022

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While Volodymyr Zelensky says he is ready to negotiate directly with Vladimir Putin, Turkey, a neighbor via the Black Sea, says talks between Ukrainians and Russians are progressing.

Since the start of the war in Ukraine, Ankara has been playing mediator.

A country that also welcomes thousands of Russians.

Opponents, artists, intellectuals fleeing political repression and economic sanctions.

Gateway to the country, it is in Istanbul that this exile begins for many.

From hotel room to youth hostel, Paulina tries to find her senses in Istanbul. 

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For two weeks, this 31-year-old Russian screenwriter and director has been in exile.

She listened to the insistent advice of her friends: "They told me as if I were a child: 'You are leaving Russia, you must leave immediately'", she says at the microphone of Europe 1 .

Countries accessible without a visa

In Moscow, this activist stuck posters against the war on public buildings and banks, until it was made clear to her that she risked being arrested.

"I received threats on social networks, then by phone," explains Paulina.

She is now part of a network of Russians who have recently arrived on the shores of the Bosphorus.

Turkey is accessible to them without a visa, and air links are not cut off.

Like Paulina, Constantin found refuge in Istanbul.

This multinational executive left Russia on a plane full of exiles.

"There were so many professionals fleeing the country. Everyone seemed to be thinking, 'What's going on?'" he recalls.

Neither Constantin nor Paulina plans to return to Russia one day.