Evening darkness has fallen, and Istanbul comes to life when Denis Smirnof takes to the stage in the district of Kadikøy. – These are not exactly good times for a Russian comedian, because there is probably not much about Russia that is funny anymore, says the stand-up comedian to chuckles from the audience. Most have arrived in the Turkish metropolis after Vladimir Putin announced partial mobilization. – It can almost be compared to being a stand-up comedian under IS, he adds. This Wednesday, the hall is only half full, but the mood is high. – Have you ever struggled to explain to the natives what it is like to have Putin as president and have to leave the country? asks Denis further in Russian, before comparing Putin to someone looking for Pokemon. – He sees enemies when they don’t exist, and sees things no one else sees. It’s like going with the phone and saying: “there’s Charmander”. But there is no Charmander there. STOP! LAST LITTLE: Denis Smirnof makes the final preparations in the taxi on the way to the nightclub. Photo: Åse Marit Befring / news Putin’s fear Denis Smirnof (31) never dared to joke about Putin when he was a stand-up comedian in Moscow. But after he and his wife Snezhana Matskivich (24) emigrated in April, he holds nothing back anymore. – I think it is important to be able to laugh at Putin because. He is only a man. Putin is terrified of being ridiculed because then he no longer appears as a strong leader, says Smirnof. He and his wife decided to leave Russia for good already when the opposition politician Alexei Navalny was arrested at the airport in Moscow a year and a half ago. They bought the plane tickets the day before Putin went to war. – We just want to live happily without fear, and with the freedom to say what you want, says Snezhana Matskivich, who refers to the war as meaningless. But their parents didn’t understand why they wanted to go. – After the mobilization order came, they have hopefully understood more, they say. . NEW FUTURE: Denis Smirnof (31) and his wife Snezhana Matskivich (24) have settled in Istanbul. Photo: Åse Marit Befring / news Hoping Putin dies In the audience there are mostly young men, but also some women. Several refer to themselves as tourists, but have no return ticket. Many people find it liberating to be with Russians in the same situation as themselves. PUTIN JOKES: Denis Smirnof believes it is important to make a night of Putin. Photo: Åse Marit Befring / news – If I had a nuclear suitcase I would also go bananas, says Kirill Lavruknim with a deep voice into the microphone. The stand-up comedian arrived just a few days ago. – I would start by insulting a country, for example Iceland. “Go to hell Iceland,” I would say. MISSING: Kirill Lavruknim loved his life in Moscow. Photo: Åse Marit Befring / news But even if he jokes about Putin’s warfare, he left Russia with a heavy heart. – I loved my life. Moscow is a wonderful city. Every morning I hope to wake up to the fact that Putin is dead, he says. Growing exile community How many Russians are in Turkey is difficult to say because there are no official figures. But now Russian is heard everywhere, even in big cities like Istanbul and Ankara. House prices have also skyrocketed a lot because of the Russians, and it is particularly noticeable after the mobilization last month, writes the Turkish newspaper Hurriyet. While many countries have refused them entry, the planes go to Turkey as before. They don’t need a visa and it’s cheap to live there. Eva Rapoport (38) hears her mother tongue everywhere. – There is a noticeable change since March, she says. She leads a start-up organization called Kovchek, “The Ark”, which provides temporary shelter and advice to those who leave and primarily the persecuted. – We prioritize people with an activist background, journalists and other persecuted people, she says. They have rented several apartments in the city. The money comes, among other things, from the former oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky, who for a number of years was behind bars in Putin’s Russia. HELPS: Several Russians live for free in the apartments rented by Eva Rapoport in Istanbul. Photo: Åse Marit Befring / news Up until now, they have helped around 500 people in Istanbul alone, but after the mobilization the requests have dropped off completely. – Now people who previously supported Putin and his warfare will also be accommodated, she says. Bare ground Albert Sarkisiants (31) is one of those who have received help. He fled in all haste to avoid being sent to the front. – In Russia, my future was either to go to prison or to the war, he says. Albert has already been in prison twice for taking part in protests against the war at home in St. Petersburg. PRISON: Albert has already been in prison because he has protested against the war. Photo: Åse Marit Befring / news When the mobilization came, he was visiting his parents in Moscow. He booked a ticket and went to the airport for two days, bringing only a pair of jeans, sweaters, cash and his mobile phone. When he arrived at the airport, he and 20 other young men were taken aside, but after a few control questions he was allowed to leave. – It was terrifying, and I was terrified that they would change their mind and pick me up while I was waiting to board the plane, he says. But he is about to run out of the cash he brought from Russia and the banking system Mir is no longer possible to use even in Turkey after pressure from the EU. Now the wife sells furniture and other assets in Russia and comes after. – Do you feel like refugees? – We have reflected on it. Yes, maybe we are refugees, says roommate Eugenii. REFUGEE: Eugenii feels like a refugee. Photo: Åse Marit Befring / news What do you miss about Russia? – When I think about what I miss, I think that it was already destroyed. Everything is occupied by Putin’s regime. I just try to focus on my new life and the future, says Albert. But his friend Eugenii lists what he misses: – Friends, family, the city, university. – Are you afraid that you won’t be allowed to go back? – No, I think that one day I can go back to my home country, says Eugenii. Albert is just glad he got away, but says the future is uncertain.
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Here, Russians laugh at Putin – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
