Yerevan has seen a surge in Russians seeking apartments ahead of Moscow's parliamentary elections in September and amid rumours of mass mobilisation, Russian-language publication Verstka has reported, citing anecdotal evidence from local estate agents.
One estate agent told Verstka that rental prices in the Armenian capital had risen by almost a third over the past three months, attributing the increase to demand from an influx of Russians looking to relocate to the city.
No official rental index exists in Armenia to independently verify the reported increases.
Anecdotal evidence of growing interest among Russians in moving to Yerevan comes as some analysts believe the Kremlin is preparing for mass mobilisation to support the war in Ukraine.
In an assessment published last week, the Washington-based think tank, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), said Russian authorities appeared to be “setting conditions for potential mobilisation” and were “preparing for possible civil unrest in Russia resulting from mobilisation.”
Moscow’s mobilisation of 300,000 reservists in September 2022 triggered protests and an exodus of military-age men.
According to Google Trends search data, the volume of Russian-language searches for ‘apartments in Yerevan’ ("квартиры в Ереване") made within Russia during summer 2026 is comparable with the level recorded around the time of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Armenia became a popular destination for Russian émigrés at the start of the war because Russians could enter the country without a visa and remain for extended periods.
On Meters in Drams, a Russian-language Telegram channel devoted to property in Yerevan, a user advertising an online information session about relocating from Russia to Armenia said Moscow appeared to be on the cusp of a “third wave of relocation/emigration to Armenia” in a post published on Wednesday.
In an earlier message on 24 July, the same user advised group members to renew their rental contracts to avoid eviction or rent increases because of rumours of an autumn mobilisation coinciding with Russia’s parliamentary elections.
Read more from Armenia:
A passport application might seem an ordinary administrative request. For Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh's ousted prime minister, it could mark the ...
Nvidia has launched an independent investigation into whether its chief executive, Jensen Huang, was targeted in a foreign intelligence operat...
Representatives from nearly 200 countries are gathering on Türkiye’s Mediterranean coast for two weeks of climate negotiations, amid gro...
Poland has declared two days of national mourning after a gunman opened fire in Kraków's historic main square. Investigators are examining possible far-right influences and the discovery of three bodies at the suspect's home.
Monday marks the second of two days of national mourning in Poland as police bolstered security after six people were killed in a mass shooting in Kraków.
The Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen's Houthis said it intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles fired by the Iran-aligned group towards Riyadh on Sunday (8 November), after loud booms were heard in the Saudi capital. The Aramco building was damaged by falling debris.
New Zealand’s ruling centre-right National Party has taken a narrow lead over the opposition Labour Party in Saturday’s general election, with the country’s current three-party coalition projected to retain power.
Azerbaijan is marking the sixth anniversary of Victory Day on Sunday, 8 November, with President Ilham Aliyev visiting the Victory Monument in Khankendi, laying a wreath and paying tribute to servicemen killed during the 44-day Second Garabagh War in 2020.
A passport application might seem an ordinary administrative request. For Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh's ousted prime minister, it could mark the beginning of one of the country's most consequential political homecomings.
Foreign ministers from the Group of Seven (G7) will meet in Paris on Monday to assess whether the Democrats' gains in the U.S. midterm elections could influence President Donald Trump's foreign policy, particularly on Ukraine and the Middle East.
At least seven people have been killed and more than 125 injured after two passenger trains collided in Egypt’s Giza province, south of Cairo, on Sunday.
The gunman who killed six people in Poland’s unprecedented mass shooting in central Kraków on Saturday has died in hospital, police said early on Monday. The attacker had demonstrated advanced military-style marksmanship skills, according to a spokesperson for the shooting club he attended.
Monday marks the second of two days of national mourning in Poland as police bolstered security after six people were killed in a mass shooting in Kraków.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment