Russian war exiles bring banyas and blinis to Buenos Aires
investing.comBy Lucinda Elliott and Miguel Lo Bianco
BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) — When Ilia Gafarov and Nadia Gafarova host the grand opening of their «banya», a traditional Russian sauna, in April, they hope it will help make a permanent home of their adopted city of Buenos Aires.
The couple, a former banker and recruiter from Russia's eastern port city of Vladivostok, moved to Argentina with their two daughters nine months ago, part of a wave of migration from Russia to Latin America since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
The Gafarovs said they are looking to invest a large part of their savings in the enterprise and to apply for citizenship when they become eligible late next year.
«The Russian community has grown significantly while we've been here, and a banya is something they want too,» said Ilia, who also cited demand by health-conscious locals.
As Russia's war in Ukraine enters its third year, a growing number of Russian families are putting down roots around Latin America, according to previously unreported residency visa approval data from five countries and interviews with a dozen exiles and experts.
Argentina, Mexico, Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay, granted temporary or permanent residence last year to a total of almost 9,000 Russians, the data show, up from just over 1,000 in 2020.
Some, like the Gafarovs are leaving an imprint on their adopted cities. The family also cook traditional Russian dishes like blini to feel at home.
The exiles and experts cited Latin America's lenient visa rules and easier paths to citizenship, affordable lifestyles, good weather and relative ambivalence towards international sanctions as major attractions for Russian citizens seeking to escape the war and its impacts on the economy — despite the
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