In Trouw there is an interesting article about Russians who stay on party island Koh Phangan in order to avoid the war. A growing number of Russians, including young men who do not want to go to the front in Ukraine, have therefore found a new home on the island.
This move follows the first mobilization call in Russia. The presence of Russians on the island is evident in local restaurants and cafes that now serve Russian cuisine. Many of these Russians are digital nomads, making Thailand, with its neutral stance in the war, cheap lifestyle and excellent internet connectivity, an ideal destination.
There is little discussion of the war among the Russians on the island, and many of them are planning for a future outside of Russia given the uncertainty of when and how the war will end. Creative solutions are sought for financial challenges caused by international sanctions against Russia, such as the use of cryptocurrencies and intermediaries to convert money into Thai baht. Despite the challenges, there is a determination not to return to Russia as long as the war continues.
Read the full article here: https://www.trouw.nl/buitenland/russen-schuilen-voor-de-oorlog-op-een-bounty-eiland~b5ee71cc/
And what do people think of Pattaya? Forgiving of the Russun, especially Prah Tamnak. And on the LBGT beach in Jomtien many Russian gays drinking and drinking and conversing loudly.
This is not only the case in Koh Phangan but also in Pattaya , Hua Hin , Chiang Mai etc… ..
What I wonder is how do all these young men get an annual visa and what do they live on?
Even if they meet the financial requirements, they must still be 50 years old?
Most of them do not speak five words of English.
Anyway, I understand their situation.
I wouldn't like to be called up as cannon fodder myself.
Greeting ,
Ron
There are several solutions:
– Elite Visa
– Education Visa (Learn Thai or something else)
– Thailand Long-Term Residency Visa for Digital Nomads
– Based on a work permit. (With acquaintance/friend or on payment. On payment, you pay X% of your income to the organization that arranges your work permit)
Speaking of cannon fodder, these Russians have been able to leave Russia without too much trouble and their families are left alone.
A completely different story in Ukraine where every man between 18 and 60 years is forbidden to leave the country and is obliged to cooperate with defense. There is even an active search for these men and the families are accused of being Pro-Russia with all the consequences that entails.
Quote from Washington Post:
The historical stream of refugees from Ukraine — 2 million people in two weeks — is overwhelmingly composed of women and children, who have been forced to separate from husbands and fathers, in one of the most excruciating aspects of this war. Most Ukrainian men ages 18 to 60 have been banned from leaving the country, in anticipation that they may be called to fight. Their president has modeled that to stay is heroic.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2022/02/25/russia-invasion-ukraine-bans-male-citizens-leaving/6936471001/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/03/09/ukraine-men-leave/
They just do what every Western digital nomad does: extend tourist visas until it is no longer possible, then do a border run and after 2 border runs choose a country where you will be accepted for a few hours or a night.
Perhaps also via a student visa. And otherwise there are agencies that will arrange 'it' for you if you pay well.
They probably did not think that after the conflict has ended they will be seen as deserters and probably no longer able to work for government organizations in Russia.
Apparently not much has changed since the French aristocrat Marquis de Custine wrote his impressions during a trip to Russia about 200 years ago. Even then he was surprised about the fact that Russians always try to get away with money (then to France). When his impressions appeared in the French press, he was constantly shadowed by the Tsar's secret police. https://www.amazon.com/Letters-Russia-Review-Books-Classics/dp/0940322811
What strikes me most in the article is that there is no talk about the war among themselves, you would expect that this group of usually well-educated people think about the future after Putin, because that power is currently crumbling faster than everyone thinks , you should not think that, for example, the boss of the Wagner group jumps into the power vacuum.
Why do people/families who have received a good education from Putin want to think about a future after Putin? They owe everything to Putin.
You cannot compare Russia before Putin with Russia after Putin.
For these people, Yeltsin was a drunkard and Gorbachev sold Russia to the west.
Putin has given Russia its own identity and a country that people can be proud of.
But pride still doesn't mean I want to die for it.
That's the difference with Ukraine, as a man between 18 – 60, you are obliged to be proud to die for your president.
You can ask yourself the same question about the Netherlands.
Internationally we are seen as a country controlled by the drug mafia.
https://www.dw.com/en/are-drug-gangs-threatening-rule-of-law-in-the-netherlands/a-63696546
https://unherd.com/2022/03/how-the-netherlands-became-a-narco-state/
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-50821542
Are you a nationalist with confidence in the Dutch government, everything written about this is fake news. You will applaud when negative reporting is censored.
If you are a victim, you will get sick of neutral reporting being classified as “fake” news.
And now let that be the same for a Russian.