A huge influx of Russians in Phuket is producing a backlash from locals, amid complaints of a booming Russian-only economy that covers everything from hair salons to taxi firms.
More than 400,000 Russians arrived on the Thai tourist island between January and July this year, according to authorities, double the number of visitors before Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Many have secured long stay-visas, buying properties and establishing businesses to escape economic turmoil and the possibility of being conscripted following Russian President Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
For a left leaning group I’m kind of apauled by the straight up racism in this comment section… These people left conscription. Which means less Russian soldiers. Perhaps there should be more aid offered to help people escape putins regime?
For a more reality leaning person I can tell you that fleeing conscription in no way equals not being imperialist/supporting the war. I am from Georgia and they are constantly protesting the Ukranian flags everywhere and start crying every time someone says something negative about Putin or his politics. They know only Russian and have only consumed Putin’s propaganda media all their life. They have more disposable income than the locals, buy up all the property, and never hire locals. You’re leaving your house and every second cafe/bar you enter, the staff only speaks Russian. All of my friends have been driven out of their homes due to rent increase too. They’re truly parasites.
If you are left leaning you should perhaps oppose imperialism?
Well, here’s the scoop: Russia is a land empire. The soldiers dying on the front are disproportionately taken from minority ethnicities, who live under the same conditions as any other colonized people.
There are liberal opposition figures, sure. They are a small minority - by most generous estimations, maybe around 15% of Russians. The far right opposition is much greater in Russia, unfortunately.
The problem is it’s likely a majority of them don’t even openly oppose the war/occupation of Ukraine. They just don’t want to go die for the cause. If these were people fleeing political oppression maybe you’d have a point.
Seems like people are irrationally angry at Russian people as a whole for not yet managing to overthrow the Putin regime. It’s easy to call for revolution in a far away country when it’s not you or your family living under the boot.
Russia has no shortage of opposition, like the Novaya Gazeta newspaper for example which has had many of it’s journalists assassinated over the years for criticising the Kremlin.
The prejudice against the entire Russian population is absurd to me, there are many Russians who are on the same page as us but who don’t have a voice.
Plenty, yes. A majority, far from it.
Every thread with the left:
“Oh, you’re America, you invaded iraq!” “Oh you cant talk, your country murdered Iraqis and afganis!” “Filthy war-mongering American!!!”
He had like a 89% approval rating for the war before it went wrong.
I had Russians everywhere talking about how the west gave them no choice but to show them a lesson.