Russia's military operations in Ukraine and the sanctions imposed by the European Union are dramatically affecting the lives of thousands of Russians living and working in Cyprus. Although the largest community of Russians lives in Limassol, there are many who chose Paphos for their stay, and in particular Pegeia. In total, it is estimated that about 2,000 Russians live in Paphos, half of whom live within the municipal boundaries of Pegeia. About 200 Ukrainians live in the same area. So far there have been no incidents of quarrels between Russian-speaking citizens and the prevailing image is that their relations remain friendly and fraternal. Many Russians, after all, condemn the invasion of Ukraine and oppose the war, disagreeing with Vladimir Putin's choice to invade Ukraine.
Difficult Hundreds of Russian-speaking students attend Pegeia's private school, and there are many Russians doing business in the area. However, the restrictive measures that have been taken make life difficult and the closure of banks, as well as the devaluation of the Russian currency, create problems even for the survival of many families who had transactions with their country of origin, which is completely isolated from the international community. . There were also some hotels in Pegeia that hosted exclusively Russians and Ukrainians. Several villas in Pegeia were also rented at regular intervals to Russian visitors. The Municipality of Pegeia, according to Mayor Marino Lambros, is counting losses due to the invasion of Ukraine and sanctions against Russia. In Pegeia, among other things, hundreds of Russian weddings took place every year. To a lesser extent, the Municipality of Polis Chrysochous will be affected, in which many Russians have bought houses in recent years. The Russians' business activities in Paphos extended beyond the services, tourism, construction, and holiday homes to other sectors. Typical is the case of two Russians, Sergey Lomakin and Roman Dubov, who had invested in the football team Pafos FC, but also in Akritas Chlorakas. In fact, due to the good course that the team had in the last two years, culminating in this season when the team is in the top six, they planned sports infrastructure projects, such as the renovation of the training center, the acquisition of hotel facilities and the start of the Esports department. Now all these plans are in the air, as well as the plans of other compatriots, who are waiting to see how the situation in their country will develop. For now, as they say, everything is frozen.
