Update from Moscow - from a close friend

[FrankChurchDem]

I have a friend who is from Crimea originally. She and her family survived 2014 but their business was ruined. She has lived in various places since then, mostly Odessa and Kiev but still owns some property in Kerch. I convinced her to get out of Ukraine several weeks ago and she packed up and moved to Moscow and is staying with a friend. She holds both Ukrainian and Russian passports. The climate in Moscow went from normal to total panic in three days.

As of an hour ago, there are busloads of SWAT police everywhere in Moscow. She said that if you try to go to McDonalds, you will get arrested. All the rails lines have stopped. All flights have stopped. ATMs are offline. Everyone is afraid of what happens next. The public mood has swung wildly in three days. Fear and panic reign.

On a personal note, I'm helping her navigate to Helsinki via car right now. She doesn't know what to do next. She has been thinking about Spain and applying for asylum there but has never been. If anyone has advice on prudent next steps, we would both appreciate it.

[moondust]

1. Maybe one of the Baltics?

Closer than Finland and linguistically similar.

[Tetrachloride]

2. the border itself may be a challenge

after that, all will be easier.

just get across.

[MLAA]

3. I lived for a year in Madrid Spain and loved it. Mild climate, great train transportation

around the country.

[FrankChurchDem]

24. She has one contact in Barcelona that she's reached out to

Would you have any concerns about seeking asylum there? I've never been.

[MLAA]

25. None at all it's beautiful and all the people I know who have been there loved it.

I don’t think she could do better if she is able to get there 😍

[FrankChurchDem]

26. Thanks

[tblue37]

37. Barcelona is my favorite city.

[Tomconroy]

4. Go east, not west.

[wnylib]

28. East of Moscow? To Siberia or China?

[FakeNoose]

5. It seems unfair that the Russian people have to endure this unrest

It's not the Russian people who attacked Ukraine, it's their crazy leader who made it all happen.
They deserve better leaders, and maybe someday soon that will happen.
I hope your friend is getting the "real news" about why this is all happening now.

[Chainfire]

6. That kind of situation can cut two ways.

If they are convinced that the problems that they are experiencing do not originate with Putin, but with Western Imperialism, it could unite them behind the dictator. If they believe the truth, they probably better keep their heads down and their mouths shut.

Russians will have to feel really desperate to attempt to overthrow an entrenched police state.

[soldierant]

23. It has happened, though.

[KentuckyWoman]

45. +1

[Irish_Dem]

7. At some point Putin might close the borders? And cancel travel plans?

So she needs at least to cross the border and then she can decide what to do next.

[FrankChurchDem]

12. She should be okay crossing the border

Her travel companions are from St. Petersburg, with both Russian and Finland passports.

[Irish_Dem]

13. That is what people thought just before WWII.

They would be fine. But borders were closed.

If Putin becomes more unhinged he could shut down the borders for everyone.

[Frustratedlady]

8. I wonder what has happened to all those people arrested while protesting?

Surely, the Russians don't have room to securely house them all. Were they threatened to 15-20 years in prison?

I can't imagine living anywhere near Russia.

[James48]

9. The Gulags

Have infinite room for sending dissidents to Siberia. Dissidents simply disappear. Still.

[Frustratedlady]

10. Nearly every scene I saw of the arrests were of women. Six or so "brave" police vs. a young woman.

In my wildest imagination, I can't picture what their lives will be from now on.

How have these countries maintained a population this long?

[L. Coyote]

11. Russian acquaintance sent me a private message

Link to tweet

[oldsoftie]

15. The WORLD waits with you. Truly the best outcome for all sane people

[calimary]

32. Yes we are.

I find myself wondering if he’ll take the “Hitler Offramp”…

[pandr32]

14. "Fear and panic" is what Putin wanted for us

This chaos has backfired.

[multigraincracker]

16. Some times it only takes a spark to ignite

a fire storm. Or, that final straw on a camels back.

[Beastly Boy]

17. I would recommend Brussels or Paris.

Both cities have some very established charitable organizations (Secours Catholique, the Tolstoy Fund) that help refugees find new homes. Both cities have small Russian communities with no connections whatsoever to the Russian oligarchs.

[Fla Dem]

18. I hope for the best for your friend. It must be terrifying. Please keep us updated on her situation.

[Karadeniz]

19. I hope Putin likes cooked goose...

[AmBlue]

20. Hoping for safe passage for your friend

I will keep her in my thoughts. Please let us know how it goes.

[uponit7771]

21. WOW !!! The whole country will notice now, their whole shit is about to collapse

[JoanofArgh]

22. No visa requirement for Spain

On Friday, Ireland announced it was immediately lifting visa requirements for Ukrainians. The UN said the number of people seeking refuge outside of Ukraine to other countries could rise to five million. Several European countries are preparing for an influx of Ukrainian refugees and have offered humanitarian help. The US said it was providing emergency aid but signalled that Europe should be their primary destination.

Ukrainians can travel to some 140 countries and territories without the need for a visa or with a visa on arrival. The map below shows the visa requirements for Ukrainians as of February 26

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/2/26/map-which-countries-are-accepting-ukrainian-refugees-interactive


The European Commission, the bloc’s executive arm, will ask member nations next week to grant temporary asylum to all Ukrainians coming to the bloc for up to three years, the bloc’s commissioner for home affairs, Ylva Johansson, told reporters on Sunday. Member nations will have to agree, but Ms. Johansson said after a meeting of interior ministers on Sunday that “an overwhelming majority” was in favor. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/27/world/europe/european-union-ukrainian-refugees-asylum.html

[soldierant]

27. Sounds like the entire world,

having had a taste of what a fascist America would mean for them, iswilling to do just about anything to prevent it.

Now if we could only convince MAGAts.

[calimary]

33. Probably not unless/until their "god" meets an unfortunate fate.

[soldierant]

41. I didn't mean here, or not just here -

I meant all those other countries that are jumping in positively.

[cilla4progress]

29. Imagine

the whole world wanting you dead.

[DFW]

30. I know a Ukrainian woman who emigrated to Span decades ago.

She lives in Barcelona, is now fluent in Castilian, has a good job and a stable relationship with a solid partner whom I have also known for decades. If your friend makes it out and decides to head there, I'll give my friend a call if you want. Maybe she has some suggestions for someone who needs help starting over there. If your friend speaks neither Castilian nor Catalan, there are many language classes for immigrants. If she knows any French, she'll find Catalan easier. If not, she'll probably find Castilian easier.

*PS, we have Ukranian friends here in Düsseldorf, too, in case she stops by here on her way to Spain.

By the way, in case I never mentoned it to you before, Frank Church was a good friend of my father's, used to come out to our house in Virginia on weekends when he was in the Senate. I was too young to have the slightest clue what they were talking about, of course.

[FrankChurchDem]

36. Thanks DFW

Let's connect once I have her on the ground. She has an old instructor friend that I know she'd like to connect with first. She doesn't know any French but has an interest in Castilian.

Idaho may be a swamp now but there are good Dems still there. Church and Cecil Andrus are two political idols of mine. And Mark Felt but that's a different conversation.

[H2O Man]

31. Recommended.

Thank you for sharing this. It is much appreciated. May your friend reach safety.

[Warpy]

34. If Putin is mad enough to start lobbing tactical nukes, no place is safe

but Helsinki is a good short term option and Spain is warm and the food is good.

I hate what is happening to the Russian people. There is simply no way outside of invasion (which no sane person wants) to hurt Putin and the spinless wimps who are keeping him in power.

TFG was shaping up to be just like him. We know how Russians feel.

[FrankChurchDem]

35. Thanks everyone

She's on her way to St. Petersburg. I will update when I hear something.

[electric_blue68]

38. Safe Travels, and Good Luck to your friend!

[Sgent]

39. If she speaks English

Ireland is offering refugee status to anyone with a Ukraine passport.

[oxymoron]

40. This is heartbreaking.

She is in my thoughts tonight.

[FrankChurchDem]

42. Update: She did not make across the border

From her an hour ago:

Russian border didn’t allow me to do it. They said that Finland won’t allow me to go with my Ukrainian passport which I crossed Crimea…

[mnhtnbb]

43. There is an article in the NY Times reporting on a train between St. Petersburg and Helsinki

that is allowing only persons holding Russian and Finnish passports.

Can your friend look into it?

The Allegro line takes 3.5 hours to travel the roughly 250 miles from St. Petersburg to Helsinki. The service is a joint venture between the Finnish VR Group and Russian Railways, which are both state-owned companies.

The line was suspended during the pandemic, but started running again at half capacity in December. Two trains leave St. Petersburg a day, and tickets are only available to Finnish and Russian nationals.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/02/world/europe/trains-russia-finland.html

[Azathoth]

44. Putin is all in. Either her perseveres and breaks Ukraine, or he's done

It doesn't matter how much hysterical Fox-style propaganda you blanket the country with. People will just not tolerate this for very long.

[FrankChurchDem]

46. Update: At the Kazakhstan border

After a flurry of calls and a flight east, she's now waiting at the border of Kazkhstan. It's a 3-hour wait because of the queue of people trying to leave. She's confident that she should be able to cross as there is no outbound Russian border check, just inbound Kazkhstan.