Russians increasingly search for renting apartments and obtaining residence permits in Belarus...

Russians have begun massively searching for information about renting apartments and obtaining residence permits in Belarus. The surge coincides with tighter internet restrictions in Russia

The number of searches by Russians on Google and Yandex related to housing in Belarus, residence permits, and local SIM cards has reached record levels in at least the past five years, according to Verstka.

A sharp spike in queries like “apartments Belarus” occurred in March amid restrictions on Telegram and VPN services, based on Yandex Wordstat data. Google Trends shows interest in “apartments Belarus” peaked in March (100 points) and remains high in April at around 90.

The upward trend began forming back in December, when widespread internet disruptions were recorded in Russia. Similar growth is seen in searches for “real estate Belarus,” “rent Belarus,” “move to Belarus,” and “Belarus residence permit.” The query “Belarusian SIM card” has also reached peak levels.

🩵In March, social media saw posts from Russians exploring relocation to Belarus. Among the advantages cited: “reasonable prices” and popular apps working without VPNs. In April, demand also rose for foreign SIM cards, including Belarusian ones, which allow access to blocked services without restrictions.

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