Relocants and locals leaving Armenia en masse

According to the article published in the Armenian "168 Zham" newspaper, after the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict and especially the widespread sanctions against Russia last year, a large number of Russian citizens were forced to leave the country and most of them settled in Armenia. Some of them also moved their businesses and started operating from Armenia, which contributed to both the increase in consumer demand and the high economic growth recorded in some sectors. However, the flow of Russian citizens stopped this year. Relocants gradually began to leave. Part of them probably returned, while the other part preferred to leave for other countries.

"The reasons for leaving Armenia are different, ranging from socio-economic to political. Not only flat rents are too high, but also the prices of consumer goods. Also, one of the reasons for leaving Armenia is probably the anti-Russian policy pursued by the Armenian authorities and the formation of negative attitudes towards Russians," the article notes, according to Caliber.Az.

"According to official data, 1 million 459 thousand Russian citizens entered Armenia this year. The number of those who left Armenia was almost 1 million 469 thousand people. This means that some of those who moved and settled in Armenia last year have already left.

However, the departing Russians are being replaced by Indians. During ten months of last year, the number of Indian citizens who came to Armenia was almost 16.7 thousand. This year their number reached 42.8 thousand, increasing by 26.4 thousand compared to last year.

In addition, citizens of the republic continue to leave Armenia. The number of those leaving continued to grow. This means that no matter how much the authorities talk about high rates of economic growth and creation of good living conditions, migration not only persists but also reaches quite high rates," the article says.