To hope that we welcome men fleeing Russia

[MindYourBeeswax]

Many are fleeing Putin's Press Gangs.
The EU Council President has recommended that the EU offer them asylum.

It must be bloody terrifying and, although we're not in the EU longer, I hope that this government follow his example and offer sanctuary as we have done for fleeing Ukrainians.

I know that they will be young men and not need to live with families in the same way that Ukrainian women and children did so although that would be ideal, it's not essential and hostels/hotels could be used.

Will you offer a home if asked? I can't but I would like to help in some way.
AIBU to hope that we will help these fleeing Russians?

Well put. But the OP apparently needs to virtue signal how much compassion they have.

They either belong to that segment of the population who are not generally affected by all your points (financially secure, live in safe area, private healthcare & education etc) or have absolute confidence that the ridiculous idea will not be implemented anyway.

@MindYourBeeswax you have made a fundamental error in your first post by conflating those who are “fleeing Putin’s press gangs” (your words) with “Russians who are in danger because of their political opinions”. (Charles Michel). They are not the same groups (although there may be some crossover) so your whole argument is rendered nonsensical.

Obviously you’re not one of the “brains of Mumsnet!”

I feel for them and should be welcomed. It’s hyprocritical yes as previously have been very anti young healthy solo male immigration from most other countries. I recognise that.

What’s different here I feel is an acute situation. Economic migrants and those leaving due to inbed cultural issues are here for the long haul. While I am not anti some coming; I am anti everyone coming because we need to be self sufficient as a country and until the point that’s even widely acknowledged (not even necessarily solved) I am being a stingy stickler.

This however as I said is an acute situation. Solve this putin issue and they will go back. He’s lost it. He doesn’t even care about his own anymore.

As someone with close friends in Russia I got a call last night from my friend to tell me she managed to get there her son a flight but what he witnessed was scary . He is very early 20s and people were being stoped outside the tube and train stations and taken in detention if they where found to have plans to travel abroad . He got home from work to get his passport and left With not even clothes .
Everyone I know in Russia is against this war , one was arrested at the start of the conflict and somehow escaped prosecution because police detained to many and couldn’t deal with the paperwork on the day so literally said teh last 30 people in teh station to just leave . Her university friend jailed teh same day is in jail for a minimum of 5 years for holding a banner that said stop this crazy war while using a t shirt with the Ukrainian flag .
People on this thread saying they don’t deserve help have probably not even set foot on a protest , let alone one that could get you 15 years in jail .
thankfully my friends can afford to probably live elsewhere and has enough studies go for a decent job but my heart goes to every 19 year old being forced to join a war they don’t support . So yes they should at least get facilitated visas to be able to work and live elsewhere . I spoke with my friends son today , he was a bit teary and told me , I know I’m lucky because I can leave but I feel sad that I probably will never be able to return , I will never see my friends , my parents home , my dog , my grandmother . He is desperately trying to find a way to bring his fiancé to Europe , he finished uni last year , got engaged just 2 months before the war started and had a good job in st Petersburg. Why would he be guilty of anything putin is doing

Patronising people certainly won’t win them over to your point of view.

I don't actually care very much if the war bothered them before the last few days (and I rather doubt it did, most of them) They are not fleeing racial or religious persecution. They are not taking their families to safety from these things, or to avoid starvation. They don't want to be called up.

Russia is their country and Putin is their leader. I suggest that if sufficient numbers of these young people make their feelings known, or mutiny when they get to the front, there might be significant change. It's happened before, after all. It is on them, it has to be. we can't do it for them and they can't do it from a B and B in Cleethorpes (or where ever)

I'll reserve my sympathy for (eg) the Afghan people who oppose the Taliban and are still holed up in the Panjshir valley and of course the invaded people of Ukraine.

Hilarious that you’re accusing people of insulting you when you’re coming out with patronising claptrap like this.

I’ve read that there are 300,000 reservists in Russia (although some say this number is exaggerated). Maybe if they all started dissenting at home instead of fleeing the country there might be a chance of Putin being overthrown.

Agree.

And the PP details some of the atrocities of war and its horrid.

But only now leaving despite being so against this regime? And only when the personal risk to him is too great?

And people are saying the British are to screen, vet, resettle and support all these fleeing men?

It’s easy to make a decision with a quick cost-benefit analysis of the situation, and the risk is too high to allow large numbers of Russian males to mass migrate on someone else’s tab.

It’s shit, terrible in fact but why is this now everyone else’s problem.

I’d have had more sympathy if they left at the start saying genuinely I object and won’t stay here to watch this.

But no, leaving now because it directly impacts them… now they want sympathy.

I’ll take 10000 ex Ukrainian fighters when the war is over before one of these.

And what about all these other countries where there has been mass civil war/ infighting over the years.

Don’t see people making a desperate case to ship over loads of Palestinians or soldiers from various African countries do you.

What would the Ukrainians think of this?

Everyone I know in Russia is against this war

Then they need to stand up and be counted. We can’t do it for them.

The OP doesn’t want to win anyone over, she just wants to sneer at people who aren’t virtue signaling as hard.

No way, thousands of Ukraine men have had no choice about fighting for their country so why should we take in Russians who are running away.

Theres not a shortage of worker ,there a shortage of people who want to work

are you sure about that? I mean, those on benefits long term could absolutely manage the healthcare and teacher recruitment crisis’ we are currently experiencing? That’s aside from social care, cleaning, general dogsbody vacancies that need filling in their thousands?

The only men who are able to flee Russia now are the wealthy now. Ticket prices skyrocketed, if they are on conscription lists, a massive bribe is needed for flighing away.
Many of them are people who support the war, just feel entitled to not fight it. The others are still from wealthy families. This isn't a kind of men which would happily take low prestige jobs.

I am in a country which took many Ukrainian immigrants and I support our government's position to not open up for Russian men. I can't imagine what would happen if large number of Ukrainian refugee women has to compete for jobs and cheaper rent with large number of Russian men while their own men are fighting against the invasion, it just seems very wrong.

I agree that unskilled people could do the latter. But do you really think long term unemployed people would be suitable to be teachers or nurses?!

Anyway, the teacher recruitment crisis isn’t due to lack of people. There are loads of qualified teachers, including myself - we just don’t want to work as teachers because the pay and conditions are so poor.

Absolutely not, and it's nothing to do with them being Russian, there are many Russians who are against the war, they are not all evil.

However I felt the same

Posted too soon, however I felt the same way with Ukraine. Our country is struggling, there are people in desperate need of housi

They are not fleeing racial or religious persecution. They are not taking their families to safety from these things, or to avoid starvation. They don't want to be called up.
You don’t think being forced to fight and die in an unjust war is a form of persecution? These people are literally being sent to their deaths, and if they say no they get imprisoned in camps for years on end.

These extra 300k untrained civilians drafted to the front line won't do well against battle hardened ukraine with Western weapons, training and their love of their country.

Maybe the russia popularity might not think its such a great thing anymore and change their attitude and do something...

But they were happy to stay there whilst their country was bombing the shit out of their neighbours, and just go about their lives.

And if you can’t protest (which I believe) doesn’t that show you how Totalitarian this regime actually is anyway, and shouldn’t you be aiming to flee for that reason alone,
if it’s that’s bad?

But no, stay and live your life until you are required to fight, but not issue before then!

Yeah, I don’t think so.

Russians are overwhelmingly in support of this war (my DH new employee who left Russia has broadly confirmed this to be true and he was a voice on the ground alrhough decided to move months ago).

Many aren’t of course, why haven’t they already left.

Thia is not the Vietnam war and we are not Canada

Can you spell out the differences because the situations seem superficially similar to me.

I quite like the sound of a world where men could just refuse to fight.

Vietnam didn’t threaten to blow Ottawa off the map regularly, and send spies Over there to poison people for a start.

It also didn’t infiltrate Canada’s government with dirty money blatantly try to swing elections (including, in part Brexit).

That’s just for starters.

Can't belive it's taken 214 days for all these young men to now disagree with the invasion of Ukraine and the murdering of its citizens.... and coincidentally all at the same time.....

@MindYourBeeswax
We have a dire shortage of reasonable, affordable housing, though. Especially in areas with jobs, where people want to live.