# More Russians Settling in EU as War Continues

> EU reports 876,600 Russians legally reside in EU by end of 2025, up 105,000 since 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
- Title: More Russians Settling in EU as War Continues · euronews
- Summary: EU reports 876,600 Russians legally reside in EU by end of 2025, up 105,000 since 2022 invasion of Ukraine. EU has 876,600 Russian nationals with valid…
- Keywords: russian, residence, europ, ukraine, migrants, war, news, world, politics, More, Russians, Settling
- Source: euronews — https://euronews.com/2026/10/21/more-russians-are-settling-in-the-eu-with-each-year-of-war-in-ukraine
- Author: Alexei Doval
- Published: 2026-10-21T09:24:28+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: eu, russian, residence, europ, ukraine, migrants, war, news, world, politics
## EU Russian Residency Data
Eurostat data shows 876,600 Russian nationals held valid EU residence permits at end of 2025.
## Residency Growth Since 2022
Number of Russian citizens legally residing in EU grew by 105,000 since Russia launched full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022.
## Top Host Countries
Germany hosts largest community with 218,000 residents, followed by Spain (116,800) and Estonia (78,400).
## Southern Europe Growth
Spain issued residence permits to 44,400 Russian nationals, France 13,700, Cyprus and Portugal saw populations increase 2.5 and 3.5 times.
## Baltic States Decline
Latvia, Estonia and Czech Republic recorded largest drops in Russian residents due to migration policies and security concerns.
## Non-EU Communities
Serbia saw Russian population rise from 5,000 to 61,900 by end of 2025, Kazakhstan absorbed over 107,000 Russian migrants.
## Recent Emigration Waves
Researchers identified four distinct waves of emigration since February 2022, with recent wave sparked by claims of impending mobilisation.
## Ivan's Story
Ivan, 19, left Russia to avoid conscription and now works in construction in Yerevan, posting videos on YouTube.

> Now I have nothing and I feel free
## Demographics of Emigrants
Emigrants include predominantly young couples under 36, with high education levels and concentrations in IT, engineering and academia.
## Key takeaway

EU has 876,600 Russian nationals with valid residence permits by end of 2025, a 13.6% rise from 2021 levels.