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Comment by w_t_payne | Hacker News Reader

Also, try to reach out to fellow technology professionals inside Russia and help them to find a way to get out.

I don't think there is much one can do on their own. Even our relatives can't help because most countries closed their borders and aerospace and tech firms are not inclined to hire Russians right now. I for one could not get any kind of ways to evacuate.

Countries did not close borders to regular citizens. Unless your insist on flying a Russian airline, you can leave and apply for residence or even asylum (if you are against the war, you are under threat of political prosecution).

not exactly true. In retaliation to prohibiting Russian airlines in their airspace, Russia in turn prohibited the airlines of other countries in Russia. So right now you can fly to some Soviet republics, Turkey, Israel, South Korea and that's it I think.

If you are looking to evacuate, possibly seek asylum a layover flight won't kill you.

I know that in last days all the tickets for flights to Turkey, Armenia etc were taken...

One possibility is to evacuate through Armenia or drive to Finland.

If only I was 25 and didn't have pregnant wife who doesn't want to leave...

And now there is no way for me to even go abroad but still send money back home.

With all the airline shutdowns, payment system sanctions and COVID lockdowns (which are still in effect on the Russian border), the west has done a great job of locking Russians inside Russia, where they have three choices:

1. Protest against Putin and go to prison, in the hope that if Putin is gone the west will drop all sanctions (not very likely).

2. Keep head down.

3. Support the government.

Given that the rest of the world is trying as hard as possible to fuck Russia and random ordinary Russians in every way, I suspect a lot of them will conclude it's us vs them and pick (3). Really a bad set of strategies, in my view. It would be ironic and sad if WW3 was triggered by virtue signalling.

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