Russia: Russia is not in superpower anymore. Its population is shrinking with each passing day, and so is its military, political, and economic might. The reason why the population is shrinking is that they don’t want to follow Russian President Vladimir Putin’s Ideology.
Since the war has erupted, Putin supporters and critics have been fiercely divided. Some Russians are against the Russian govt narrative, and some are in favour. People living in Russia have been noticing how the Kremlin’s ideology influences and divides the Russian community.
As per sources, nearly 300,000 Russian citizens and residents are estimated to have left Russia by mid-March 2022 as political refugees and economic migrants due to a desire to evade criminal prosecution for exercising free speech regarding the invasion.
One of the Communist Party deputies in the Voronezh Oblast Legislative Assembly stated that she fled Russia due to threats of criminal prosecution and imprisonment for having spoken against the invasion, saying, “I realized that it was better to leave now. Once a criminal case is opened, it could be too late.”
On February 24, 2022, Russia launched an unprovoked attack on Ukraine. Russia’s actions can be explained by its grand ambition to expand its sphere of influence to cover areas occupied by countries of the former USSR and create a safe buffer between it and the Atlantic Alliance – North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO).
Several countries have reacted following this attack, with most Western countries, the European Union and its allies taking severe actions and sanctions in retaliation against Russia.
Apart from this, many western countries have restricted Russian people from migrating to other countries in order to safeguard their citizens from the external threat.
However, with the war, Russia has been hit by severe Western sanctions that cause incredible inflation, a crashing currency, and uncertain imports and exports.
Due to this, many Russian oligarchs are struggling to operate their businesses in Russia and outside Russia before the sanction.
Those Russians who do not follow Kremlin’s narrative are being hatred by the Russian government. They are being tortured and suppressed by the administration.
They do not enjoy equal rights such as freedom of expression, as people enjoy in other countries.
The government has enacted a censorship law to suppress people’s voices. According to the law, if a person is found criticizing the Russian government’s actions, specifically about the war, including calling it an “invasion” or “war,” they will have to face 15 years of imprisonment.
Many Russians who are against Moscow’s actions are looking for ways to escape their home country, hoping to start a new life.
But several countries have barred Russians from arriving in their countries following the Russian-Ukrainian war as a part of sanctions and to safeguard their countries from the threat.
How can the world help Russians fight the dictatorial regime of Russia?
Countries that have restricted Russians should ease the way for innocent Russians to start a new life where they can enjoy their rights and freedom of expression.
Moreover, countries should open the doors for migrants as emigration has played an important role worldwide in economic success.
Countries that are standing together in imposing sanctions against Russians should also provide asylum to the innocent Russians who are fighting the oppressive regime of Russia.
Moreover, there are several other options, and many countries offer “Citizenship” in exchange for economic investment. Many countries have designed a programme “Citizenship by Investment” which offer citizenship.
The citizenship by Investment programme provides individuals and their families the benefit of acquiring alternative citizenship, giving them the right to travel freely to various countries without any hassle and settle in another country.
Several countries in the world, especially the Caribbean, are providing citizenship. By attaining citizenship, people can enjoy several rights such as freedom of expression and can expand their business opportunities.
Though CBI programmes allow individuals to receive alternative citizenship through local investments, it is not an easy way, as the individual has to go through a multi-layered due diligence process.
However, attaining alternative citizenship in any country is not easy. They thoroughly scrutinize the applicant’s financial and criminal background documents.
Migration plays an important role in the economic success of the countries; restricting people from migrating will draw many negative impacts such as will constraints, economic growth, new business ideas, and diversity.
Sergey Brin, the founder of Google, who came from Russia to the U.S. about 40 years ago, has contributed in establishing Google is an example for all countries how immigration plays an important role. He left Russia as a young boy nearly 40 years ago.
Immigration has contributed immensely to America’s economic success, making it a global leader in tech.
‘Sundar Pichai’, the CEO of Google, claimed that he was very disappointed by the proclamation, “We’ll continue to stand with immigrants and work to expand opportunity for all.”