STORY: A view over Tbilisi, capital of Georgia, a country bordering Russia. In a cloak-and-dagger operation, Igor Tikhiy, a 49-year-old marketing specialist, crossed the border on his bike. He fled after Putin ordered the mobilization. Igor previously lived in Moscow. Now Tbilisi is his new home. “The war played a big part in my decision to leave Russia. Because, yes, I don’t want to shoot anyone and that’s why I’m here. Also, I’m extremely disappointed in my home country. And I don’t want to be cut off from the world – that’s true for me, but also for my children. What is all this for? I just don’t understand it.” This journey was made by tens of thousands of Russians in the first weeks of Russia’s chaotic mobilization. But even before that, some people could no longer cope with the politics of their country. Just like the Russian couple Oleg and Aleksandra Chernousov. They fled St. Petersburg seven months ago with a handful of belongings and their eleven-year-old daughter. Now they run a bookshop in the Turkish metropolis of Istanbul: “It’s true, this shop is not big, but we hope that he will have a long and happy life. That would be great. In that sense, of course, there should be a certain connection between the store and us. Although of course our happiness doesn’t depend solely on this store and it’s really a different story.” So many Russians are now working on a new future outside of their home country. And these are just two examples of thousands who were forced to start a new life by the Russian attack on Ukraine.