The state of affairs in Russia looks bad.
All independent media are either closed down or blocked. Facebook and Twitter are blocked. More than 13,000 people have been arrested because of anti-war protests. You can get to jail for 15 years for "spreading false information about the special operation in Ukraine." The currency has devalued to half of its value. Foreign firms are pulling out, leaving people jobless. It is also feared that Putin may start sending more people to the war.
At the same time prediction markets give 65% chance that Russia will close its borders this month. No surprise that people are trying to get out while they can.
But it's getting hard. Europe and US have closed their airspace to flights from Russia. Some countries (Czechia, Lithuania) even paused issuing visas to Russians. The rumors are that the short trip from St.Petersburg to Helsinki costs 9,000 EUR.
Lobbying governments for easing visa procedures and fast-tracking the requests seems to be a highly effective strategy to deal with this complex situation (providing permanent residences and eventually citizenship can be dealt with later):
1. From a purely humanitarian perspective, the less people stay behind the new iron curtain, the better.
2. The emigrants are very likely self-selected professionals, programmers, technicians, managers, entrepreneurs etc. Productive middle class, in short. The country that accepts them is going to reap the economic benefits. This can make it easier to sell the proposal to the governments.
3. Every brain brought to safety is one brain less that Putin can use to build new, more destructive weapons. This could lower the existential risk. It could be also used as an argument for the us-vs-them-minded people in the government who don't care about the economic argument.
I'm mostly doing it to vent. I'm Russian. As Slavic as it gets. No roots elsewhere. And so I cannot leave! Nor could I before, when flights out weren't jam-packed yet. Even during the witch hunts of 2018, when I was eager to flee to any safer place, I couldn't. Not because Russia wouldn't let me out. Back then, it easily would. Even transportation was easily available, not to mention relay routes. More like, it was because other countries, ones that were safer than Russia dearest, just wouldn't let me in. I was terrified, I was living in everyday fear. But I wasnt leaving. I was effectively forced to not leave and to play the Russian roulette. Because Russia has been an outcast in terms of visas for many years.
Ukrainian women could go working in Europe, they did so in significant numbers, and us, we simply couldn't, unless exceptionally talented or something like that. And now I did think of Asia myself. I even happen to know some Chinese. But apart from Asia being excruciatingly hot for a temperature-sensitive Northerner, it just is way too dangerous for a Caucasian woman on her own. I would stick out too much. And it's scary to even think what my price at their black market would be. They even abduct their own local women to be sold into sex slavery and so on. And I would be a walking, talking profitable rare commodity.
Previously, I only heard of Russian males prepping to quit it all in a permanent way, if you get what I mean. Because they don't want to be conscripted and forced to go to war. But now, I also am contemplating this. Even though just a short while ago, I was feeling like I should try to be a survivor.
Are you talking about being unsafe in China? I've had several white female friends work alone in China, they've all been fine. I certainly think moving to China would be a better option than despair - you have your whole life ahead of you!