‘We are refugees’: Russians flee rising authoritarianism

A woman holds a sign reading 'Welcome' as people who arrived with the Allegro train from St Petersburg, Russia were welcomed and handed flowers at the central railway station in Helsinki, Finland, on March 6 [Emmi Korhonen/Lehtikuva/AFP/ Finland OUT]

Russians, disheartened by the war in Ukraine, fearful of the pressure from sanctions, and concerned by the muzzling of critical voices, have been fleeing their country in recent days.

Their options are limited – with a near-complete shutdown of European airspace to all flights inbound and outbound from Russia, only a handful of exit corridors remain.