Twice as many people left Russia in the first half of 2022 than during the same period last year as the country faced international isolation over its invasion of Ukraine, according to data released by state statistics agency Rosstat on Tuesday.
A total of 419,000 people departed Russia between January and June compared with 202,000 in the same period the year before, according to Rosstat.
“The number of those who have left the Russian Federation increased by 216,500 people, or by 2.1 times,” Rosstat said in a report on the social and economic situation in Russia.
Ukraine, where Russia has been waging a brutal military campaign for the past six months, was the most popular destination with 79,600 people.
The other top destinations were the former Soviet states of Tajikistan, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
Those departing are not just Russian citizens, but also labor migrants from neighboring countries.
In the same period, 322,348 people arrived in Russia, according to Rosstat. That compared with 316,777 in the first six months of 2021.