More Russians are settling in the EU with each year of war in Ukraine

The number of Russian citizens legally residing in the EU has grown by 105,000 since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, reaching 876,600 by the end of 2025, an analysis of Eurostat data shows. The figure represents a 13.6% rise from the 771,800 Russians holding valid temporary or permanent residence permits across EU member states in 2021. Germany hosts the largest community, with 218,000 residents, followed by Spain (116,800) and Estonia (78,400). Southern Europe has seen the sharpest growth: Spain issued residence permits to 44,400 Russian nationals over the period, France 13,700, while Cyprus and Portugal saw their Russian-born populations increase 2.5 and 3.5 times, respectively.