Updated

Meduza profiled Russian emigrants who keep moving, starting with a zoologist who left Russia for Kazakhstan in September 2022 and later moved from country to country. Meduza spoke with three Russians who chose constant travel rather than settling in one country, while most Russians abroad try to return to a stable routine. The zoologist, Misha, had worked as a junior researcher at the Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution and later took part-time work at a veterinary clinic. In September 2022 he went to Kazakhstan with an organization that pairs scientists with tourists, to lead a national park tour. A few hours after landing he learned that Russia had announced mobilization. He stayed, rented a place for a month, and helped newly arrived Russians with paperwork in exchange for a place to sleep and meals. He later took a tour job in Turkey and then moved to Montenegro after a friend mentioned snake season and visa-free entry. He failed to win a job with the local national parks, so he gave animal lectures and nature tours that drew an audience through emigrant chat groups. He rented his own studio only in fall 2023, six months after arriving. Meduza reported that he realized on the road that he wanted only to keep moving. A one-day tour or lecture could bring in 100 to 150 euros.