Update from Moscow - from a close friend [View all]
I have a friend who is from Crimea originally. She and her family survived 2014 but their business was ruined. She has lived in various places since then, mostly Odessa and Kiev but still owns some property in Kerch. I convinced her to get out of Ukraine several weeks ago and she packed up and moved to Moscow and is staying with a friend. She holds both Ukrainian and Russian passports. The climate in Moscow went from normal to total panic in three days.
As of an hour ago, there are busloads of SWAT police everywhere in Moscow. She said that if you try to go to McDonalds, you will get arrested. All the rails lines have stopped. All flights have stopped. ATMs are offline. Everyone is afraid of what happens next. The public mood has swung wildly in three days. Fear and panic reign.
On a personal note, I'm helping her navigate to Helsinki via car right now. She doesn't know what to do next. She has been thinking about Spain and applying for asylum there but has never been. If anyone has advice on prudent next steps, we would both appreciate it.
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