The largest number of Russians holding a temporary or permanent residence permit live in Germany — 218,000 people. It is followed by Spain (116,800), Estonia (78,400), France (66,800), Italy (50,500), Cyprus (44,800), and the Czech Republic (36,400).
The smallest number of Russians with such documents was recorded in Romania (1,500), Croatia (1,700), and Malta (1,900).
Over the past four years, the Russian diaspora has grown most significantly in countries with a warm climate. The number of Russians with a residence permit in Spain rose by 44,400 (an increase of 61%). In Cyprus the increase was 26,800 people, and the total number of Russians holding a temporary or permanent residence permit grew 2.5 times. In France the increase was 13,700 people (a rise of 25%), and in Portugal the number of Russians grew by 13,500 (a 3.5-fold increase).
In some countries the number of Russians with a residence permit fell: in Latvia by 14,900, in Estonia by 9,000, and in the Czech Republic by 7,800.
Outside the EU, the main destinations for Russian emigration were Turkey, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Serbia, and Armenia. As of June 11, 2026, 75,900 Russian citizens held valid residence permits in Turkey. This figure is half the peak level recorded at the beginning of 2023, when the number of such people exceeded 154,000. About 70,000 Russians moved to Georgia after mobilization was announced, and many of them remained in the country. In Kazakhstan, as of March 1, 2026, 97,500 citizens of the Russian Federation had permanent resident status, and another 9,600 held temporary residence permits. In Serbia, at the end of 2025, 61,900 Russians held residence permits (temporary or permanent), whereas before the war this figure did not exceed 5,000. According to Armenia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs, in December 2025, 43,500 Russian citizens had legal resident status.
