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?

No, the "eye for an eye" is a biblical quote, about limiting retribution ie equal measure.
The "whole world blind" thing was added by Gandhi.

No. I thought the UK has a large Ukrainian population anyway. It would be a recipe for disaster. Just ask Leicester about whats the reality of having opposing communities living near each other.

Let the larger countries take them in.

Yes, you did.
I said opening our homes would be a perfect solution but understood that many, including myself, wouldn't want a strange male living with them.
So failing that, I suggested that it might be an idea for us as a nation to do what the EU will likely be doing and offer them refuge, whether that be in hotels or hostels.

All these objections. I imagine the EU Council President has also thought of these and, with his team have decided they are not insurmountable and worth overcoming. Or do some Mumsnetters think he might not have thought of them!

Most Russian men are hideously misogynistic, women are hugely at risk of domestic violence in Russia. I’m not going to welcome people that with open arms

Other countries have taken in far far more Ukrainians, if your happy for Germany to take in Russians, then you should insist we take in many too.

But of course no European country should, Russia and Russians are atm our enemy.

Although good statistics are hard to obtain in Russia, it does seem that the war has been very much approved of so far by these same men who have suddenly decided that they will leave rather than actually go and fight themselves.

Now, maybe they have had an epiphany, or even if they haven’t maybe we should still help them to leave to deprive Putin of more thugs for his campaign, but I’d be pretty uncomfortable letting in those who were cheering him on only a week ago.

Have we placed all of the scientists and engineers that arrived from Syria yet?

It’s not something I’d do in my home but I also don’t think there’d be public support for it

OP, why Russians? As opposed to say men from Eritrea or Sudan or Turkmenistan… or in fact men from a long list of countries with compulsory military service? (I’ll leave out the likes of Switzerland, Greece, Finland…)

No for several reasons, skin colour not being one of them.

Its not the running away thing, its that the Russians fleeing were not fleeing for the last 6 months, they were happy to either say nothing or support a war

Yes, because they've been completely bludgeoned with Russian propaganda that this was a 'special operation' and not a war, likely to be over in days or weeks at worst, the Russia was firmly in control and had the upper hand, so there was never any danger of even a partial mobilisation and the call-up or reservists, or the need to increase conscription beyond the norm.

Yours is a very sick comparison tbh

There is no difference the revulsion Russians feel for this conflict and that felt by anyone else. The problem Russians have though, is that if you are Ukranian, British, American, or most other nationalities, you are completely free to voice your disapproval and do all you can to aid Ukraine, whereas even hinting that you are less than 100% in favour of the war as a Russian sees you snatched from the street, beaten, imprisoned, intimidated, etc etc It's no wonder the majority of Russians appear to be 'happy' to passively continue on about their lives.

There are undoubtedly a proportion of Russians who are wholeheartedly behind Putin and his war, but then, I have to ask myself how many of them are yet again victims of state propaganda and do not truly understand the consequences of the actions they support. There are, of course, Russians who know damned fine what this is about and simply do not care, and to hell with them, but it's a barefaced lie to presume all Russians are like this, or the ones who are not obviously and vocally resisting are somehow cowardly or tacitly in approval.

No thanks, except perhaps the ones that put themselves on the line to protest against the war and aren't just fleeing now they're going to be put in harms way. Men in Ukraine had no choice and although of course the war wasn't the choice of citizens, doing nothing is supporting it really.

176 million Indians live in extreme poverty. Shall we invite them here? Do we have enough to help them? What about the over 14 million afghan women? 12 million Uyghurs in China? The 360 million Christians living in countries with high level's of Christian persecution? What about the 26 million Americans without health insurance or the billions in the rest of the world without access to health care? Do you think the NHS could help them?

Because of the President of the EU Council's Comments that the EU should give refuge to Russian men fleeing Putin. I don't think he has said anything about the other countries.

So, it is in the news today and if Europe are going to do it, then why not us too. We have the space and we have unfilled jobs.

Agreed, many supported the invasion of Ukraine or did nothing to protest about it.
Only fleeing as they don't wish to fight themselves.
In Ukraine the women and children had to leave and sought asylum whilst the men stayed to fight.
Russian men are running away and leaving women and children behind.....🤔

Spot on!

we are far from full up.

@MrsSkylerWhite we are a tiny island with the same population as France which is nearly 3 times bigger. We are the same size as Romania which has 24 million fewer people. At what point would you consider ‘full up’ if it’s not 68 million people?

A hundred thousand angry, disgruntled Russian citizens in Russia are Putins problem to deal with.

A hundred thousand angry, disgruntled Russian citizens in the UK/EU are the UK/EUs problem to deal with.

if Europe are going to do it, then why not us too

We have left the EU

Doubtful many civilised societies would welcome the orcs

No absolutely not. What's wrong with them defecting to Ukraine and fighting against the Ruskies?

OP is the kind of bleeding heart ‘progressive’ who wants everyone else to do something so she can feel superior. OP is probably also the kind of bleeding heart progressive found in Martha’s Vineyard. It’s so farcical, you could t make it up.

I’m reading a book called Russians among us by Gordon Corera. It’s fascinating and scary in equal measure.
It strikes me that Russian men fleeing ‘conscription’ could very well be a perfect rouse for Putin to get his agents in to he heart of Europe for nefarious purposes!

FWIW I have hosted Russians before, as part of a language tuition/homestay thing, and several have been in thee military, but that's very different from hosting in these circumstances - and considering the pitifully little that's been done to sort an exit strategy for those who've hosted Ukrainians I'd be mad to even consider it

Russia isn’t being invaded. That logic makes no sense. The men are leaving alone because it’s too costly and time consuming for whole families to leave. The routes now are either blocked or overrun and the only flights left as of yesterday cost over 5k sterling a head.