Russians Are Again Flocking to Armenia — Fearing a New Wave of Mobilization

Real estate agents in Yerevan report a sharp surge in Russian clients: people are either already relocating to Armenia or actively planning to do so. According to their estimates, the current wave is comparable to the 2022 migration surge that followed the start of the war in Ukraine and the announcement of partial mobilization.

Local real estate agencies say rental prices in Yerevan have jumped by roughly 30% over the past three months. "Given what's happening in the housing market, our prices look downright insane," one agent admitted. Another specialist noted that they're already fielding a flood of rental inquiries for September: "People are trying to leave before the elections, so prices will likely climb even higher in the fall." This refers to Russia's State Duma elections, scheduled for September 18–20, 2026.

On social media and in housing-related Telegram channels, the number of listings from Russians planning to move to Armenia around the end of August and start of September has spiked sharply. Both families and singles are searching for housing, considering long-term rentals, shared living arrangements, and private house rentals.

According to Yandex Wordstat, the number of search queries for "apartments in Yerevan" surged in Russia this spring. In the week of July 13–19 alone, such queries hit 5,200 — surpassing the 5,000 queries recorded in late February and early March 2022, during the first days of the full-scale invasion. In terms of intensity, the interest is comparable to the period of the autumn 2022 mobilization.

Armenia has been one of the top destinations for Russian emigrants since the war began, thanks to the ability to enter using an internal passport and relatively straightforward access to legal status. The current wave of relocation is being linked to fears among some Russians of tougher new mobilization measures — such as reservist rotations or another round of mobilization.

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Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz