How do you start over in a foreign country with $500, no job, and a cat to feed? Elmira Drau, a Russian émigré who teaches English, tells the story of her flight to Armenia and the life she built.

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Meduza recently launched “The Emigrant Questionnaire,” a series about Russians living abroad. We plan to tell the stories of emigrants both famous and little known. Russian singer Monetochka filled out the first questionnaire. The second respondent is Elmira Drau, a 32-year-old English teacher who volunteered to take part — and we were delighted to take her up on it. Drau left Gelendzhik for Yerevan in May 2022 after someone reported her to the authorities over an antiwar comment in a Telegram chat. The only money she and her husband had came from selling their car. Neither had a remote job, and they didn’t know anyone in the city. At times, things were so hard that they had only enough money to feed their cat. Still, Elmira launched a new project (more than one, in fact!) that earns her an income. She also helps stray animals and is writing a book about emigration.

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