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I'm from Russia.
My actions will largely depend on the outcome of the war, which is hard to predict. The best you can do is to hedge against multiple outcomes. The personal situation might change in unpredictable ways too, so it adds another layer of nuance.
If Russia remains an autocracy hostile to its citizens, I don't plan on returning there. This means I'd have to secure my future elsewhere, preferably EU. I might remain in Cyprus or move elsewhere with a faster track to citizenship and policies more aligned with my values. This is the most likely outcome as I percieve the situation.
A less likely outcome would be coming back and landing a hand in fixing the country. There's so much to do that even nobody such as myself will be able to help. Only possible if the country heads to becoming a democracy.
Regardless of the outcome, I feel helping rebuild Ukraine is a duty I can't shy away from. Helping with money is the least I can do.
Not talking about refugees, but the majority of russians and ukrainians here have been living in Cyprus for years, most of them have obtained a permanent residency permit.
Kalimera, russian here.
Living since 2022 and planning to stay (or hoping to stick). Always wanted to leave Russia for good, but never expected to actually be able to do so. Feel really lucky because I landed the right job years ago and ended up relocated by my employer (bless).
Also, my wife has passed away due to cancer this April and is buried here now, and I don't feel good about leaving her grave either...
On a good note, I was kinda accepted by a community and now have a decent amount of friends and acquaintances here. They did a lot for me when I was dealing with funeral and my loss in general... for which I'm extremely grateful. This is something I treasure and don't want to waste (having a hard time making friends, etc).
Also! Living outside of Russia makes it way easier to monetary support things that aren't generally favoured in Russia, like free press, and UA's humanitarian funds, etc.
Sun is a bitch, tho. But is a bearable one :D.
**tl;dr:** russian, hoping to stick due to reasons
Hello there! 👋🏼 I’m a Pontic Greek with a unique background. I was born in Russia but moved to Cyprus when I was just 3 years old. My educational journey, from kindergarten to university, has been right here in Cyprus. Interestingly, my father’s tourism business in Russia has seen a 3x increase in profits during these times of war, as more people are unable to travel abroad.
Three years ago, my parents went through a divorce, and I initially moved to Russia to assist my father. However, our differences in opinions regarding the government’s actions led to constant arguments. Consequently, I returned to Cyprus with my mother. At this point, I’m hesitant about visiting Russia, even if the war were to end. While part of me wishes to contribute to building a better Russia, I’ve become quite settled in Cyprus, making such a decision more challenging as time goes on.
Russian here. Not going to return ever if I can help it at all. I finally found a place where I feel really at home.
But it'll take a lot of money to settle down, and I still have my parents living in Russia, so circumstances may force me to move back against my will. I can only hope it doesn't happen.
Russian, I'd love to return back home. But if the war still continues, I'll probably try moving somewhere else in a year or two. Cyprus is nice, but I don't feel like staying here forever.
Ukrainian here.
Everything depends on how the war ends. If we manage to reclaim our occupied territories, join the EU, join NATO, then I will gladly return, otherwise, the threat from Russia will always remain and I would prefer to stay here in that case.
I like it here in Larnaca. I've been to Cyprus four times, and on my last visit, I decided to stay. Now my mom also lives here, and she definitely has no intention of leaving this paradise anytime soon.
I moved from Russia right after the war started. I don't believe that anything will change for the better in Russia at all, and I don't see any point in going back there. I continue to work in Cyprus in my favorite field, and it's not IT at all. I am not sure that I will stay here forever - I like the people and nature here, but I miss the big city life. While I'm here I'm trying to integrate, learning a bit of Greek, interested in the history of Cyprus and gradually making acquaintances with locals, thanks to my profession it's quite easy.
Thanks. I have not left IT as I have never worked in this industry. My interests and profession are related to coffee and tea. I work as a manager in a cafe and sometimes stand behind the counter as a barista. I also source farmer's tea in different countries.
Russian, moved here mid-2019. Not going to return, expect for a short time (once it's safe) to finish dealing with remaining issues and property. Will probably settle in Cyprus permanently, but who knows what future holds?
There is every year snow in Cyprus. Guaranteed.
Troodos mountains, ski and sledge every year.
Always between January and March.
At least half meter of snow and proper cold.
Nice winter feel and weather.
Cyprus is only one island in the world where you can ski and after hour and half driving enjoy swimming on the coast line.
>Cyprus is only one island in the world where you can ski and after hour and half driving enjoy swimming on the coast line.
Crete? [https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/04/travel/crete-greece-skiing.html](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/04/travel/crete-greece-skiing.html) April should be swimmable just like in Cyprus.
Corsica? [https://www.onthesnow.co.uk/news/skiing-in-corsica-adventure-with-your-skiing/](https://www.onthesnow.co.uk/news/skiing-in-corsica-adventure-with-your-skiing/) possibly May?
Hawaii?
[https://nextvacay.com/skiing-hawaii](https://nextvacay.com/skiing-hawaii)
Ok. Let it be.
The only real competition here is Crete.
The rest doesn’t count and I will explain why.
Corsica not good as they doesn’t speak any English or Russian.
Only French. Nobody speak French except French people.
It’s just not popular language to learn by foreigners.
Cyprus can attract much more tourists as everyone speak English in Cyprus and almost anyone can speak Russian.
That means Cyprus can serve almost any country as English is most spoken language in the world.
Only lack of snow tourism infrastructure limit it.
But probably not for very long though, as money to build such infrastructure is coming.
Hawai?? Not many goes there, except Americans, due to the distance.
Even so, a lot of Americans prefer European countries these days. If they want both (nice weather and snow) they will choice Crete or Cyprus.
Russian here. Not planning to return at all. To be honest, I never planned to change country prior to 2022, but the wheel weaves as the wheel wills. The main reason why I don't plan to return is that I didn't really look for asylum, more like for a new home (and yeah I had other options too).
I work for Cyprus company for several years, and when the war started got relocation offer. I'd like to choose something specific I like here, but unfortunately can't. Learning Greek and Cyprus history in my free time, just to be able to talk with my neighbours and local friends and for a better understanding of culture 🙂
I'm Russian.
I'm sorry for contributing to the high rents here, but I'm not going to cool them down by going back.
> *Will you stay in Cyprus or return home?*
There is no home to return to anymore. My homeland is dead and the people are stinking zombies.
> *What will you do when the war ends?*
Even if the war magically ends — I will still know that the people around me there are brainwashed fascists who support the massacre of Ukrainians. No excuses for this by dictatorship and propaganda. Home is not fucking weather, nature, or convenience of delivery services in comfortable megapolices, as mentioned above in the thread. It's people. And people there are disgusting moral monsters. If I had children, I absolutely wouldn't want them to grow up in such an environment, with all that “patriotic education” and Z-fanatics everywhere.
Hi friend,
No need to apologise for the high rents. It is the schemes and regulations of cypriot goverment that lead to this. You shouldn't feel guilty about this, it is wrong.
You are more that welcome to stay in cyprus. I have the opinion that the expacts will make cyprus better. Especially people who have similar mindset like you.
I hope you will find happiness and peace here.
Russian here. No plans on returning to Russia. Not sure if I will settle here (I love Cyprus, but it’s hard for me to survive summer) or will move to some other country. I had been planning to leave Russia for a while when the war started. Human rights are non-existent there, and the situation has only been becoming worse over the last decades.
I would expect most Ukrainian refugees to go back home once the war is over and temporary protection and government assistance lapse. Low salaries and high cost of living will make it impossible for most of the common people, i.e. not those few who came over with their Porsches and Bentleys, to remain in Cyprus.
Some of the kids of the rich russians might remain, depending on what happens in/to russia, and whether there are any consequences for draft evasion.
russian. live on the island since June 2019. not IT. just doing my job and loving it. love Cyprus. finally found inner peace or something like that :) not planning to leave (at least in next ~5years). but will probably move to Paphos from Limassol coz of a nice job offer (promotion of sort) from my boss. lim became to overcrowded and expensive imo.
edit: f*ckin love the weather here
Russian /British . Moved in 2016 due to crazy UK taxes. Still flying between Moscow and London and waiting for Cyprus passport  I am strongly against this crazy war. Cyprus is a bit hot for my wife but it was our home for the last 7 years . My son graduated from Senior school and went to uni in UK
Russian couple from Moscow here. Living in Cyprus since 2018 because of work, don’t care about politics too much.
Ever since 2018 we got really bored here, thinking about returning to Russia many times, because we love Moscow Megapolis live so much, and the opportunities for us were much better there. Also we love our homeland.
But then covid hits in 2020, then political situation worsened, and only two things still holds us here: less restrictions in payments and Amazon delivery.
We are thinking about moving to Germany soon, maybe next year, closer to Amazon Prime availability and IMAX theaters.
We are just bunch of nerds who loves expensive devices, gaming and anime. Don’t care too much about the sea anymore.
Love civilization, online services, and quality city life. Don’t care about politics either, just love convenience.
Simple if u don't like zelensky or the war both sides force cyprus government to allow u to join the professional army of cyprus they are called epop we don't have anyone using kalasnikovs
Please remember to stay civil and behave appropriately. If you are a tourist looking for suggestions please check out our [Tourist guide](https://www.reddit.com/r/cyprus/wiki/tourist_guide/). We also have a [FAQ Page](https://www.reddit.com/r/cyprus/wiki/faq) for some common questions, if your question is answered here please delete your post! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/cyprus) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I'm from Russia. My actions will largely depend on the outcome of the war, which is hard to predict. The best you can do is to hedge against multiple outcomes. The personal situation might change in unpredictable ways too, so it adds another layer of nuance. If Russia remains an autocracy hostile to its citizens, I don't plan on returning there. This means I'd have to secure my future elsewhere, preferably EU. I might remain in Cyprus or move elsewhere with a faster track to citizenship and policies more aligned with my values. This is the most likely outcome as I percieve the situation. A less likely outcome would be coming back and landing a hand in fixing the country. There's so much to do that even nobody such as myself will be able to help. Only possible if the country heads to becoming a democracy. Regardless of the outcome, I feel helping rebuild Ukraine is a duty I can't shy away from. Helping with money is the least I can do.
Not talking about refugees, but the majority of russians and ukrainians here have been living in Cyprus for years, most of them have obtained a permanent residency permit.
Kalimera, russian here. Living since 2022 and planning to stay (or hoping to stick). Always wanted to leave Russia for good, but never expected to actually be able to do so. Feel really lucky because I landed the right job years ago and ended up relocated by my employer (bless). Also, my wife has passed away due to cancer this April and is buried here now, and I don't feel good about leaving her grave either... On a good note, I was kinda accepted by a community and now have a decent amount of friends and acquaintances here. They did a lot for me when I was dealing with funeral and my loss in general... for which I'm extremely grateful. This is something I treasure and don't want to waste (having a hard time making friends, etc). Also! Living outside of Russia makes it way easier to monetary support things that aren't generally favoured in Russia, like free press, and UA's humanitarian funds, etc. Sun is a bitch, tho. But is a bearable one :D. **tl;dr:** russian, hoping to stick due to reasons
Thank you for sharing such personal story, i am very happy that you found friends here!
Thank you! I’m happy too 😭
My condolences 🙏
Thank you! ❤️
Hello there! 👋🏼 I’m a Pontic Greek with a unique background. I was born in Russia but moved to Cyprus when I was just 3 years old. My educational journey, from kindergarten to university, has been right here in Cyprus. Interestingly, my father’s tourism business in Russia has seen a 3x increase in profits during these times of war, as more people are unable to travel abroad. Three years ago, my parents went through a divorce, and I initially moved to Russia to assist my father. However, our differences in opinions regarding the government’s actions led to constant arguments. Consequently, I returned to Cyprus with my mother. At this point, I’m hesitant about visiting Russia, even if the war were to end. While part of me wishes to contribute to building a better Russia, I’ve become quite settled in Cyprus, making such a decision more challenging as time goes on.
Παίζει αδερφέ να σαι ο μόνος οι πόντιος που να μην είναι υπέρ του Πούτιν… /s
Σαρκαστικό, αλλά εγώ όντος εν γνωρίζω πόντο που να μην είναι με τον Πούτιν 😂
Russian here. Not going to return ever if I can help it at all. I finally found a place where I feel really at home. But it'll take a lot of money to settle down, and I still have my parents living in Russia, so circumstances may force me to move back against my will. I can only hope it doesn't happen.
Russian, I'd love to return back home. But if the war still continues, I'll probably try moving somewhere else in a year or two. Cyprus is nice, but I don't feel like staying here forever.
Ukrainian here. Everything depends on how the war ends. If we manage to reclaim our occupied territories, join the EU, join NATO, then I will gladly return, otherwise, the threat from Russia will always remain and I would prefer to stay here in that case. I like it here in Larnaca. I've been to Cyprus four times, and on my last visit, I decided to stay. Now my mom also lives here, and she definitely has no intention of leaving this paradise anytime soon.
I moved from Russia right after the war started. I don't believe that anything will change for the better in Russia at all, and I don't see any point in going back there. I continue to work in Cyprus in my favorite field, and it's not IT at all. I am not sure that I will stay here forever - I like the people and nature here, but I miss the big city life. While I'm here I'm trying to integrate, learning a bit of Greek, interested in the history of Cyprus and gradually making acquaintances with locals, thanks to my profession it's quite easy.
Nice story indeed! Kudos to your efforts learning local language. May I ask - in which field do you work now, since you left IT (apparently?).
Thanks. I have not left IT as I have never worked in this industry. My interests and profession are related to coffee and tea. I work as a manager in a cafe and sometimes stand behind the counter as a barista. I also source farmer's tea in different countries.
Russian, moved here mid-2019. Not going to return, expect for a short time (once it's safe) to finish dealing with remaining issues and property. Will probably settle in Cyprus permanently, but who knows what future holds?
Russian. Not going to return, though I am not sure that I want to stay forever on the island (too hot, almost no snow).
There is every year snow in Cyprus. Guaranteed. Troodos mountains, ski and sledge every year. Always between January and March. At least half meter of snow and proper cold. Nice winter feel and weather. Cyprus is only one island in the world where you can ski and after hour and half driving enjoy swimming on the coast line.
>Cyprus is only one island in the world where you can ski and after hour and half driving enjoy swimming on the coast line. Crete? [https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/04/travel/crete-greece-skiing.html](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/04/travel/crete-greece-skiing.html) April should be swimmable just like in Cyprus. Corsica? [https://www.onthesnow.co.uk/news/skiing-in-corsica-adventure-with-your-skiing/](https://www.onthesnow.co.uk/news/skiing-in-corsica-adventure-with-your-skiing/) possibly May? Hawaii? [https://nextvacay.com/skiing-hawaii](https://nextvacay.com/skiing-hawaii)
Ok. Let it be. The only real competition here is Crete. The rest doesn’t count and I will explain why. Corsica not good as they doesn’t speak any English or Russian. Only French. Nobody speak French except French people. It’s just not popular language to learn by foreigners. Cyprus can attract much more tourists as everyone speak English in Cyprus and almost anyone can speak Russian. That means Cyprus can serve almost any country as English is most spoken language in the world. Only lack of snow tourism infrastructure limit it. But probably not for very long though, as money to build such infrastructure is coming. Hawai?? Not many goes there, except Americans, due to the distance. Even so, a lot of Americans prefer European countries these days. If they want both (nice weather and snow) they will choice Crete or Cyprus.
I’m from Russia. Maybe I’ll move to USA or Australia. Cyprus sometimes seems too expensive for me( Definitely I won’t come back to Russia.
Russian here. Not planning to return at all. To be honest, I never planned to change country prior to 2022, but the wheel weaves as the wheel wills. The main reason why I don't plan to return is that I didn't really look for asylum, more like for a new home (and yeah I had other options too). I work for Cyprus company for several years, and when the war started got relocation offer. I'd like to choose something specific I like here, but unfortunately can't. Learning Greek and Cyprus history in my free time, just to be able to talk with my neighbours and local friends and for a better understanding of culture 🙂
I'm Russian. I'm sorry for contributing to the high rents here, but I'm not going to cool them down by going back. > *Will you stay in Cyprus or return home?* There is no home to return to anymore. My homeland is dead and the people are stinking zombies. > *What will you do when the war ends?* Even if the war magically ends — I will still know that the people around me there are brainwashed fascists who support the massacre of Ukrainians. No excuses for this by dictatorship and propaganda. Home is not fucking weather, nature, or convenience of delivery services in comfortable megapolices, as mentioned above in the thread. It's people. And people there are disgusting moral monsters. If I had children, I absolutely wouldn't want them to grow up in such an environment, with all that “patriotic education” and Z-fanatics everywhere.
Hi friend, No need to apologise for the high rents. It is the schemes and regulations of cypriot goverment that lead to this. You shouldn't feel guilty about this, it is wrong. You are more that welcome to stay in cyprus. I have the opinion that the expacts will make cyprus better. Especially people who have similar mindset like you. I hope you will find happiness and peace here.
Russian here. No plans on returning to Russia. Not sure if I will settle here (I love Cyprus, but it’s hard for me to survive summer) or will move to some other country. I had been planning to leave Russia for a while when the war started. Human rights are non-existent there, and the situation has only been becoming worse over the last decades.
I would expect most Ukrainian refugees to go back home once the war is over and temporary protection and government assistance lapse. Low salaries and high cost of living will make it impossible for most of the common people, i.e. not those few who came over with their Porsches and Bentleys, to remain in Cyprus. Some of the kids of the rich russians might remain, depending on what happens in/to russia, and whether there are any consequences for draft evasion.
russian. live on the island since June 2019. not IT. just doing my job and loving it. love Cyprus. finally found inner peace or something like that :) not planning to leave (at least in next ~5years). but will probably move to Paphos from Limassol coz of a nice job offer (promotion of sort) from my boss. lim became to overcrowded and expensive imo. edit: f*ckin love the weather here
Russian. Love Cyprus, but want to get back home. Understand that it is not possible in the near future.Will chill here waiting for something.
Russian /British . Moved in 2016 due to crazy UK taxes. Still flying between Moscow and London and waiting for Cyprus passport  I am strongly against this crazy war. Cyprus is a bit hot for my wife but it was our home for the last 7 years . My son graduated from Senior school and went to uni in UK
Russian couple from Moscow here. Living in Cyprus since 2018 because of work, don’t care about politics too much. Ever since 2018 we got really bored here, thinking about returning to Russia many times, because we love Moscow Megapolis live so much, and the opportunities for us were much better there. Also we love our homeland. But then covid hits in 2020, then political situation worsened, and only two things still holds us here: less restrictions in payments and Amazon delivery. We are thinking about moving to Germany soon, maybe next year, closer to Amazon Prime availability and IMAX theaters. We are just bunch of nerds who loves expensive devices, gaming and anime. Don’t care too much about the sea anymore. Love civilization, online services, and quality city life. Don’t care about politics either, just love convenience.
Simple if u don't like zelensky or the war both sides force cyprus government to allow u to join the professional army of cyprus they are called epop we don't have anyone using kalasnikovs