Post Soviet Journal | Almaty, Kazakhstan | Oct 2022
The Conscript: Russians of Almaty
All names have been changed.
Since the war in Ukraine, the Russian government issued a mobilisation for all men aged 18-30, meaning they could be called up at any time and sent to the frontline. In response to this many men fled Russia, going to former republics of the Soviet Union that allowed Russians to enter without a visa. These included countries such as Kazakhstan, Georgia, Armenia, and Kyrgyzstan. The following accounts are from Russian men who had fled and settled in hostels around Almaty, the largest city and former capital in Kazakhstan. Some 150,000 men have come to Kazakhstan.
Almaty Flea Market.
Dmitri, 31
Dmitri is working on his laptop whilst eating lunch in the kitchen area of a hostel in central Almaty. He works for a company employed by the Russian government to create and assess exam papers for high schools. Originally from near Yekaterinburg, he lived in Moscow but spent most the time working from home, working on the layout and order of exam questions. His workplace was unaware he was in Kazakhstan and feared that if he was found to be out of Russia, he may lose his job and income.
“What are your thoughts of the war in Ukraine?”
Dmitri smiled and returned with a joke, “We have a joke among us” meaning those who fled Russia. “Yuri Gagarin accidently travels forward in time to 2022, he meets an alien above the earth. He asks the alien ‘what is happening in the world today’ and the alien replies ‘Russia and Ukraine are at war’ Gagarin responds with ‘against who?’”.
“Why did Putin invade Ukraine?”
“I don’t know, there are many reasons on the TV, what they say but I don’t know” referring to Russian state television. “I don’t know what he (Putin) thinks, maybe he wants USSR back, maybe he wants to fight west, I don’t know the inside of his head”.
“Why did you come to Almaty?”
“it’s like Russia here, I didn’t want to move but at least here it is similar”. Dmitri had come to Almaty in august after the announcement of the mobilisation. “I do not like Astana (the capital) it was too much money. The place was cold, no soul”. He tells me that he has met many other Russians from all over the country now settling in Almaty and has made some friends.
Soviet apartments near the hostel.
Vasily, 35
Unlike the other men who had fled Russia and came to Almaty, Vasily had been working in the city for a few years prior. He had originally planned to move back home and to work in Moscow in April (2022) but due to start of the conflict had decided to remain in Kazakhstan. He works for a telecoms company owned by Russia and asked the company to stay in his position to which they agreed.
“What are your thoughts of the war in Ukraine?”
“I am not surprised, this has been [a] problem for a long time in Ukraine, I don’t like the government there”. Vasily avoids answering who he thinks is directly responsible for the war but emphasises how this has built up since 2014. He refers to the Ukrainian government as the ‘American government’ repeatedly in conversation. When asked what the ‘American government’ is, Vasily explains “The Ukraine government is put there by America and west, it is not Ukraine people”.
“Why did Putin invade Ukraine?”
“I can’t tell you this”. Vasily did not want to elaborate further.
“Why did you stay in Almaty?”
“I have worked in this city for good time now, I like it and I don’t want problems when I go to Moscow” meaning being sent to the front line. “Money is good here and I have my own kvartira”(Russian word for apartment). He goes onto tell me about the Kazakhs in Almaty and how they have changed. “Before it happened [the war] Kazakhs were nice to me, like brothers. Now because of war they are scared of Russians, they think we will come with tanks for Kazakh land”. Vasily tells me of stories of Russians he knows in the city facing higher rents and costs due to them being from Russia.