Mass Exodus of Russians from Turkey: Reuters

Since the onset of the war in Ukraine, Russians who have moved to Turkey are now mass relocating to other countries amid challenges related to residence permits and banking issues. This was reported by Reuters, citing official data.

In the past year, tens of thousands of Russian citizens have left Turkey. In May, the number of Russians with Turkish residence permits dropped to 96,000, down from 154,000 at the end of 2022.

It is noted that they are being forced to leave Turkey due to difficulties in obtaining permits that arose at the beginning of 2023. At that time, authorities tightened the verification of applications, as the influx of migrants due to the war led to a sharp increase in real estate prices. Property owners began evicting Turkish tenants to lease homes to Russians at higher rates. As a result, 10 districts in Antalya have been closed to foreigners.

The minimum value of real estate has also increased; in smaller towns, it has risen from $50,000 to $200,000, while in megacities, it has increased from $75,000 to $200,000.

Another reason for the exodus of Russian citizens from Turkey is the difficulties related to conducting banking transactions.