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A Russian Bubble

A Russian Bubble

liife of Russian immigrants in Belgrade

The city of Belgrade has undergone many changes since ’90. The country was at war, isolated, punished. At that time it was nearly impossible to hear a foreign language in the streets of Belgrade. Instead, it was common to hear different dialects of Serbian language, since many refugees from Bosnia and Croatia found new homes in the Serbian capital.

After NATO bombing in Serbia ended in 1999, and not long after the Milosevic regime was overthrown, the New Millennium brought changes to Belgrade. The country started to open, thus foreigners started to come. Suddenly the English language could be heard in our streets.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 has also opened up a new era for Serbia, as a large number of their citizens settled predominately in Belgrade. Because of this, the dominant foreign language has become Russian, which can be heard on every corner of the city now.

According to Euronews, war in Ukraine brought about 200.000 Russians in Serbia and they founded more than 4,000 companies, however for some, this Balkan country was just a one stop on the way to developed western countries. Large number of Russians who decided to stay in Belgrade are transformed into a community who live in their own bubble. Since they came to Belgrade they already established their own communities - opened restaurants, bars, started attracting Russian cultural assemblies and bands.

Due to the big influx of Russians, the real estate price went significantly up, which benefited the real estate owners, but, at the same time, put an additional burden on local citizens who rent apartments. Serbia, which opened the door to the wave of Russians fleeing their country, has "emerged" as one of the leading destinations for technology companies and highly qualified professionals, writes the American "Wall Street Journal". It is noticeable that the majority of Russians who came to Serbia are young or middle aged people, belonging to the middle or higher middle class.

Many of the Russians I met who moved to the Serbian capital are opponents of Putin's regime and they are against the invasion of Ukraine. Some of them left their country because of the fear of mobilisation, and lack of life perspective. Since the only country on the territory of Europe that was not a member of the Soviet Union that did not impose sanctions on Russia is Serbia, Russians find it favourable. In addition, these two historic allies share in common religion and cultural proximity, as well Serbia offer easy procedures for regulating their status. All these contribute that Russians, I had the opportunity to talk to, feel accepted in the new environment.

Cuddling Party

On the top floor of one of the Dorćol's neighbourhood buildings in Belgrade a unique gathering took place . It's "Cuddle Party" brought from Moscow by the Russian emigrant Marina Bulganina.

Just before the arrival of the guests, Marina makes the final preparations in her beautiful apartment while the Cure song "Close to me" plays. At this party, everyone is welcome, regardless of sexual orientation, to enjoy touching and caressing strangers with hands or different objects to experience different sensations and feelings.

At first, people mingle and get to know each other. Each person writes on the board their feeling that they have come and their expectations, as well as their impressions at the very end of the 4-hour event. As the guests sit on the comfortable floor surrounded by pillows and soft blankets, host Marina explains the three rules and outline of the meeting.

1. Yes is Yes, No is No! Which means you are free to express whether you give permission for a certain touch or not.
2. No sex! Touching private parts is not allowed.

3. No Destroy! Don't ruin the atmosphere or anything else with your behavior.

After the meditation and the rejection exercise, the most interesting part comes "Free Flow" where people exchange touches with different partners in a dimly lit atmosphere. Marina says that life skills are acquired through this entertainment - how to listen to our own instincts about who we like, how to learn to say no, but also how to accept rejection. This party, which costs app. £18, is organized several times a year and one couple who attended has not missed a single party so far. In addition, a bisexual man who was present find it hard to adapt and find a partner in Belgrade because as soon as he opened up that he's bisexual people step back.