Russians in Turkey

Russians in Turkey

Total population
257,674[1]
Regions with significant populations
Istanbul Ankara Antalya İzmir
Languages
Russian Turkish
Religion
Russian Orthodoxy Other

257,674 Russians hold residence permits and are currently living in Turkey.^[2]

History

Russians began migrating to Turkey during the first half of the 1990s. Most had fled the economic problems prevalent after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. During this period, many intermarried and assimilated with locals, bringing a rapid increase in mixed marriages. There is a Russian Association of Education, Culture and Cooperation, which aims to expand Russian language and culture in Turkey as well as promote the interests of the community.

Following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, many Russians have fled to Turkey after Vladimir Putin announced a "partial mobilization" of military reservists.^[3] Around 50,000 Russians had moved to Antalya by September 2022, as well as 18,000 Ukrainians.^[4]

Demographics

Types of Residence Permit and Population

Type of Permit	Population[2]
Long-Term	78,748
Short-Term	36,544
Family	16,959

Education

Russian schools:

• Russian Consulate School in Istanbul
• Russian Embassy School in Ankara
• Private International Moscow School in Antalya
• International Russian School in Antalya

See also

• Russia–Turkey relations
• Turks in Russia

References

1. "İkamet İzinleri ["Housing Permitholders"]". www.goc.gov.tr (in Turkish). Ministry of Interior. 24 November 2022. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
2. "İkamet İzinleri ["Housing Permitholders"]". www.goc.gov.tr (in Turkish). Ministry of Interior. 24 November 2022. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
3. Tanis, Fatma (2022-09-26). "Russian men flee the country. Many are showing up in Istanbul". NPR. Archived from the original on 2023-01-18.
4. Hubbard, Ben; Timur, Safak (2022-12-29). "Moscow on the Med: A Faraway War Transforms a Turkish Resort Town". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-06-22.

Further reading

• Atabaki, Touraj; Volkov, Denis V. (2020). "Flying away from the Bolshevik winter: Soviet refugees across the Southern borders (1917–30)". Journal of Refugee Studies. 34 (2). Oxford University Press: 1900–1922. doi:10.1093/jrs/fez122.