As Vladimir Putin’s party prepares to dominate weekend parliamentary elections in a prelude to his planned return to the presidency in the spring, an increasing number of Russians are contemplating leaving their homeland in search of a brighter future abroad. A March presidential election victory for Putin - all but taken for granted - raises the prospect of his being in the top job for 12 years.
Disenchantment with life in Russia was growing even before Prime Minister Putin and President Dmitry Medvedev agreed in September to swap jobs.
In a May poll by the respected Levada Center, 22 percent of respondents said they wanted to move abroad for good, compared with 13 percent in April 2009. The poll among 1,600 Russian adults across the country had a margin of error of 3.4 percentage points.
Emigration statistics are hard to come by because few of those who leave for lengthy periods renounce Russian citizenship, while getting foreign residency may take years.
But demographer Mikhail Denisenko at the Higher School of Economics in Moscow estimates that at least a half million Russians moved abroad in 2002-2009 and more are on the way, in what he describes as the fifth wave of emigration since the beginning of the 20th century.
“The level of frustration is higher … it’s a feeling of discomfort, an aversion to life in Russia,’’ said Lev Gudkov, the head of the Levada Center.
“The prospect of another 12 years of stagnation or even a worsening of the situation is frightening them and they are beginning to think about moving to a different country or at least providing a future for their children’’ abroad.
Numerous recent websites and blogs offer advice on how to emigrate. One of them, “Time to Shove Off,’’ offers commentaries and videos exposing alleged crime and corruption among top Russian officials. “Yet another governor buys himself yet another Mercedes for 7 million rubles (about $230,000),’’ reads one posting. “Corruption as a lifestyle,’’ a headline says.
“The news that Putin is staying has spoiled people’s mood and this talk [of emigration] started resonating more,’’ said Anton Nossik, a popular blogger who holds seminars on emigration.
