Locals on tourist resort island claim Russians fleeing fallout of the war in Ukraine are stealing Thai jobs.

A huge influx of Russians in Phuket is producing a backlash from locals, amid complaints of a booming Russian-only economy that covers everything from hair salons to taxi firms.

More than 400,000 Russians arrived on the Thai tourist island between January and July this year, according to authorities, double the number of visitors before Russia’s war against Ukraine.

Many have secured long stay-visas, buying properties and establishing businesses to escape economic turmoil and the possibility of being conscripted following Russian President Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

  • @tomatopatheEnglish
    20•10 months ago

    If you are left leaning you should perhaps oppose imperialism?

    Well, here’s the scoop: Russia is a land empire. The soldiers dying on the front are disproportionately taken from minority ethnicities, who live under the same conditions as any other colonized people.

    There are liberal opposition figures, sure. They are a small minority - by most generous estimations, maybe around 15% of Russians. The far right opposition is much greater in Russia, unfortunately.