---
title: "Capital flight and hopes: why Russians are massively buying property abroad in 2026"
description: "Russians are massively buying property abroad: demand grew by 20% amid rumors of mobilization and internet shutdowns in St. Petersburg. Where are investors fleeing and why are contractors refusing to fight? 🏠🚀🇷🇺"
date: 2026-07-11T03:32:00.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/capital-flight-and-hopes-why-russians-are-massively-buying-property-abroad-in-2026
tags: []
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Capital flight and hopes: why Russians are massively buying property abroad in 2026

![Row of young Russian conscripts in camouflage uniforms, symbolizing demographic outflow and search for safety abroad in 2026](https://xab.info/media/2026/07/11/rossiane-massovo-skupayut-nedvizhimost-za-granicey-v-2026-godu/rossiane-massovo-skupayut-nedvizhimost-za-granicey-v-2026-godu-1.webp)

The Russian real estate market, seemingly having survived all the shocks of recent years, has seen an unexpected turn in 2026. After a long pause, Russian citizens have once again started actively looking to buy property abroad. Statistics record a sharp spike in demand, which experts link to the intensification of the geopolitical situation and fears of new waves of mobilization.

### Panic statistics: figures that speak for themselves

According to data published by Kommersant and re-reported by RBK-Ukraine, in the first half of 2026, demand for foreign real estate grew by 20% compared to the second half of the previous year. If hidden requests made via VPN and from abroad are taken into account, the real picture looks even more dramatic: growth was 25% compared to the previous half-year and 20% year-on-year.

Real estate market analysts do not hide the reasons for this surge. According to them, the tense situation is forcing buyers to look for a 'backup airfield.' Hopes for a peaceful settlement of the conflict, which were previously linked to Donald Trump coming to power, have not been fulfilled. Instead, Ukrainian drones continued to strike Russian cities, and rumors of a new mobilization began to dominate the information space.

### Information vacuum and rumors of conscription

Opposition Telegram channels and independent media, such as The Moscow Times, report on the Kremlin's preparation for large-scale personnel replenishment of the army. According to sources close to 'turbo-patriots,' mobilization could be announced as early as October, immediately after the State Duma elections. The Ministry of Defense is allegedly already preparing training grounds to receive recruits, and those responsible for conscription have received the corresponding orders.

The signal that the situation is getting out of control was the disconnection of mobile internet in St. Petersburg. Now only sites from the 'white list' work in the city. Experts interpret this as a preventive measure by the Kremlin aimed at cutting off Russians from the operational exchange of information in the event of the start of conscription. The isolation of the population only fuels citizens' desire to find shelter abroad.

### Where Russians are fleeing: demand leaders

The growth in the number of transactions with objects abroad is due precisely to the desire of Russian citizens to ensure themselves a safe place to live. Statistics show clear buyer preferences:

- **Georgia:** demand for real estate here has doubled in a year.

- **Cyprus:** the growth in requests was a substantial 63%.

- **Greece:** interest in real estate grew by 46%.

- **Leaders in the number of requests (January-June):** Turkey, UAE, and Thailand.

These countries are becoming the main destinations for those seeking refuge from the escalation of the conflict and internal instability.

### Recruitment crisis: why contractors are disappearing

Alongside the flight of citizens abroad, Russia is experiencing a recruitment crisis. Over the year, the number of people willing to fight against Ukraine has dropped by 20%. In the first quarter of 2026, only 71,200 people received one-time bonuses for signing a contract with the Ministry of Defense. This number does not allow for compensating losses on the front, which is likely pushing the country's leadership to create information conditions for resuming the conscription of reservists.

Thus, 2026 has become a turning point: instead of hoping for stabilization, citizens are choosing a survival strategy, investing in property abroad while they still have the opportunity to do so.