Yeah, it's worth keeping in mind that fleeing domestically is often the easiest option. I can imagine there's a massive difference between living in St. Petersburg or, say, somewhere in rural Chechnya. On top of that, the situation for LGBT refugees from Russia has become a lot worse now due to the travel restrictions many countries in western Europe placed on Russian citizens - most EU states do not issue tourist visa to Russians anymore and some places like Finland do not allow Russians to enter at all any longer. Russian LGBT people who make it to the EU by taking the indirect route through Belarus or Georgia are frequently faced with pushbacks to these countries.
It's unbelievable how European governments have the gall to condemn Putin for his treatment of LGBT people and then immediately afterwards slam the door in the face of Russian LGBT people who come here seeking help.
Yeah, it's worth keeping in mind that fleeing domestically is often the easiest option. I can imagine there's a massive difference between living in St. Petersburg or, say, somewhere in rural Chechnya. On top of that, the situation for LGBT refugees from Russia has become a lot worse now due to the travel restrictions many countries in western Europe placed on Russian citizens - most EU states do not issue tourist visa to Russians anymore and some places like Finland do not allow Russians to enter at all any longer. Russian LGBT people who make it to the EU by taking the indirect route through Belarus or Georgia are frequently faced with pushbacks to these countries.
It's unbelievable how European governments have the gall to condemn Putin for his treatment of LGBT people and then immediately afterwards slam the door in the face of Russian LGBT people who come here seeking help.