The next wave of “immigrants” from Russia to the republics of the Near Abroad in connection with the announced mobilization raised real estate prices there almost to those in Moscow. Such information came from almost all countries – from Uzbekistan, Georgia, Armenia, etc. – this was said by the experts of “Business FM”, who interviewed their sources in the countries of the Near Abroad.
Thus, a local journalist from Uzbekistan voiced the following for the publication: “One-room apartments have increased in price the most, in some areas the rent cost from 200 to 300 dollars, now there are no less than 600-700 dollars. For two-room apartments in comfortable new houses, the prices ranged from 500-700 dollars, now there are no less than 1.2 thousand dollars.” At the same time – and at the official level, from the Ministry of Justice of the country, information was heard that tenants are being evicted to rent apartments that they “found” at a higher price. The department warned that such actions violate the requirements of the law, which indicates that early termination of the lease agreement by any party is resolved in court. However, as the “Business FM” source added, he had not heard of such cases.
In Georgia, the situation is no better: Oleksandra, who “now lives in Batumi”, said that she managed to rent a studio for $500 a month, and now the same one is being rented out on Airbnb for $700. “Those who came to try to choose small cities where housing prices are lower because in Tbilisi they have increased by about one and a half times. There are new records in Tbilisi now. If earlier, before the influx of Russians, the adequate price of an apartment in a good area with one bedroom and a living room was considered to be $700, now even for $1,000 it is quite difficult to find something decent,” the source assured. According to her, Batumi is “calmer”.
Similarly in Yerevan. Judging by the chat rooms, where the announcements of apartments for rent are published, a two-room apartment is rented for 1.5 thousand dollars a month, and a large studio, 53 square meters, cost 400 thousand drams. This is approximately 37 thousand hryvnias at the current exchange rate. That is, the source experts note, the prices are approximately Moscow. Moreover, in almost every message they write that they are renting for at least six months.
As Narina Kirakosyan, a resident of Yerevan, said, “relocators” who continue to work remotely in their companies, mainly IT people, came to Yerevan. “Yerevan is probably made of rubber. The fact is that this can be considered the second stream from Russia. I was in tourist places today, I saw many Russians there early in the morning. By the way, I also had neighbors, I even jokingly announced to my friends: “Here we are, too.” This is a young family with two children. I met them by chance, a normal family,” she said. Another assured me that “there are only Russian boys in the center of Yerevan.”