Rich Russians are fleeing Europe: Asia is becoming a real estate hotspot!

Today is July 21, 2025

Date: July 21, 2025 – Source 1 (https://de.finance.yahoo.com/nachrichten/reich-russen-kehren-europa-r%C3%BCcken-142050629.html):
– Wealthy Russians are moving away from Europe due to the Ukraine war, mostly to East Asia or the Middle East.
– International real estate brokerage company Tranio has compiled a ranking of real estate demand among Russians in the first half of 2025.
– Thailand: 25.6% demand, up 19.7% in 2024; relaxed entry and investor friendliness.
– United Arab Emirates (UAE): almost 10% demand, hotspot for rich Russians since the start of the war in 2022.
– Türkiye: almost 9% demand, popular before the war, central sanctions hub after the start of the war; Minimum investment for right of residence increases.
– France: 7.1% demand, down 20% compared to 2024.
– Spain: 6.5% demand, down 28.6%.
– Greece: 6.5% demand, down 36.3%.
– Cyprus: 6.6% demand, the only EU winner with an increase of almost 10%.
– Italy: 3.5% demand, down 5.7%.
– USA: 3.6% demand, up 78.5% compared to last year.
– High demand for safe alternative properties for residence, residence permit or capital investment.
– Frozen assets and stricter residence regulations in Europe lead to a decline in demand.
– Asia and the Orient (Thailand, UAE, Türkiye) combine almost half of the inquiries.
– Nevestate confirms trend towards Asia, purchases mostly in the range of 300,000 to 500,000 dollars.
– Strong concentration of demand on Thailand, similar to Turkey before.
– USA records increase in inquiries despite geopolitical tensions.
– Europe has acquired an image of unreliability by freezing Russian assets.
– Europe has largely closed itself off to young Russians fleeing the war, which further damaged the image.

Source 2 (https://www.merkur.de/wirtschaft/oligarchen-verlassen-europa-wo-russen-aktuell-immobilien-kaufen-zr-93837982.html):
– Wealthy Russians have sharply reduced their property purchases in Europe since the start of the war in Ukraine.
– According to the Levada Center, most Russians agree with the actions of their armed forces but want peace negotiations and a normal life.
– Europe has become unattractive to Russian investors due to perceived hostility, frozen funds and stricter regulation in the real estate market.
– New preferred real estate destinations for Russians are in Asia and the Middle East.
– According to an analysis by real estate brokerage firm Tranio, the most popular countries for Russian real estate purchases in the first half of 2025 are:
– Thailand: 25.6% demand (2024: 19.7%)
– United Arab Emirates: 10% demand
– Türkiye: 9% demand
– In Europe, demand for real estate has fallen sharply, with Cyprus being the exception (6.6% demand, +10%).
– France has 7.1% demand, a decrease of 20% compared to 2024.
– Spain and Greece recorded declines of 28.6% and 36.3% respectively.
– Interest in real estate in the US grows to 3.6% demand, an increase of 78.5% compared to 2024.
– Rich Russians continue to invest in real estate abroad, often for residency permits or capital investments.
– Restrictions on the selection of countries for investments since the beginning of the war.
– Russian economist Vladislav Inozemcev estimates that Europe has lost 25 to 30 billion euros in Russian investments.
– The freeze on Russian assets has hit confidence in Europe.