Since the war in Ukraine began, more than 104,000 Russians and another 18,000 Ukrainians have moved to Serbia.
Ilya Sechanov relocated to Belgrade in March. Many people who moved to Serbia, including Sechanov, are under 35, highly educated, and work in the IT sector.
“We have many opportunities here, even some we didn`t have in Moscow,” he said.
“There are a lot of areas that we can fill both in terms of real estate and the IT sector and other professions.”
Many of the arrivals came to the country with young children. This school year, 66 Ukrainian students and more than 530 Russians are registered at local schools.
Demand for housing has also increased, with the price of renting in Serbia’s capital having doubled in the past six months.
“[An apartment] must be fully equipped, with a good internet connection, everything that requires a pleasant and comfortable life,” Nikola Cobic said, who works at Serbian real estate agency Cityexpert.
“The location is also very important to them.”
Serbia is not the only country to see people flee to it since the start of the war in Ukraine. Armenia, Turkey, and Kazakhstan are just some countries that Russians have relocated to since the state of the invasion in February.
