Almost 150,000 Russian nationals returned from around the world to live in Russia in 2016, with 30,000 of them coming from EU countries, signaling a rising trend since 2014.
The figures indicate the effectiveness of a recently created government program aimed at encouraging Russians living abroad to return to their country, reports the Izvestia newspaper, a Ministry of Internal Affairs publication.
Key factors that drove people’s decision to return included the constant psychological pressure of anti-Russian sentiment in many EU countries stemming the intense state and media propaganda leveled against Russia as well as from the crisis in Ukraine.
Natalia, a Russian national who’s lived in the Czech Republic for 20 years before deciding to leave the country, said that an ‘unbearable’ level of ‘Russophobia’ was the main factor in her decision to return to Russia.
“The situation has become really unbearable lately,” she told the Russian newspaper. “The level of Russophobia has reached a level where in Prague you see cars with anti-Russian signs, and on the street you might get a rebuke if you speak in Russian.”
Yan, a Russian who’s lived in Paris for over two decades said that the decision for Russians to return home has become obvious.
“The information in most media is distorted from the beginning to keep Europeans afraid of Russia,” he said. “When you belong to a group that’s under constant pressure, you become even more anxious to defend your nation or country.”
Relations between the West and Russia further devolved during the 2016 U.S. election after Democrats accused Russia of “hacking” the election, in an attempt to distract the public from WikiLeaks’ disclosure of thousands of Hillary aide John Podesta’s emails containing numerous instances of collusion and corruption.
The media has helped perpetuate the false narrative of Russian hacking, going as far as publishing fake news about the former Soviet country hacking into the U.S. electrical grid.
This Russian hatred is pure stupidity, close minded and its a shame! Sarcasm: Good thing the Europeans found their enemy who will wipe them out of existence! Yup it was the beautiful blonde Russians! Not the brown +50 million (there were 44 million in 2010, there are no new statistics but rest assured that by now, there could be as many as 100 million of them) Muslim invaders who rape and pillage, nope disregard that, they are our friends from the “religion of peace” (through terror)! It is Xenophobia and Islamophobia to dislike Muslims but its not Russophobia to dislike Russians… see the double standard? No? Try some glasses.
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It might happen quite soon that even “Russophobic” EU Lefturds will start migrating (fleeing) to Russia to preserve own Lefturdic asses from Sharia. It’s a thin red line between Russophobia vs Russophilia and Lefturds will learn it hard, by facing the reality.