Russians have sharply increased demand for rental apartments in Armenia’s capital Yerevan amid rumors of a new mobilization wave, local realtors told Russian outlet Verstka.
On Tuesday, one realtor said that over the past two years, most clients were emigrants “moving from one apartment to another.” But now “80% of those who contact us have moved recently or are just planning to.”
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Another real estate specialist said rental prices in Yerevan have risen about 30% over the past three months.
“People have been coming since the May holidays, and now even more. I have a lot of requests for September. I think they want to leave before the [State Duma] elections. So prices will probably rise even more in September,” the realtor said.
One of the realtors described current housing prices as “just crazy.”
Search interest matches 2022 invasion levels
According to Yandex Wordstat data, Russians began actively searching for “apartments in Yerevan” in spring 2026.
During the week of July 13-19, search queries reached 5,200, exceeding the 5,000 queries recorded during the week of Feb. 28 to March 6, 2022, when Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began.
The record number of search queries was recorded during mobilization in autumn 2022, with nearly 10,000 searches during the week of Sept. 19-25.
Google Trends data shows Russian interest in Yerevan apartments in summer 2026 is already comparable to the start of the invasion and the mobilization period.
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Telegram channels show surge in demand
In a popular Telegram channel for Russians seeking housing in Yerevan, dozens of new posts appear daily from those who have already arrived in Armenia or are planning to emigrate in autumn, Verstka reported.
Families with children, single young men and women, are searching for housing.
“Anyone arriving in early September who wants to split an apartment, write me – looking for a roommate for my husband,” one chat participant wrote.
The Telegram channel “Meters in Drams,” which covers Armenian real estate, noted there are no longer any “normal options” available for rent.
“Normal options simply don’t exist, people keep arriving, and this summer has already, in my opinion, almost equaled summer 2022,” the channel reported.
Mobilization fears drive exodus
Verstka previously reported that Russian authorities may introduce martial law and conduct mobilization after September’s State Duma elections, with rumors of mobilization already circulating for months.
Analysts at the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) have written about preparations for new mobilization. Some European officials who spoke to The Washington Post did not rule it out, saying the Kremlin may take such a step if high losses on the front continue.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russian President Vladimir Putin plans to send “300,000 to 500,000 people” to the front as part of a new mobilization. He said Russia’s defense ministry recruited 221,000 contract soldiers since the start of the year, but losses over the same period reached 225,500, including 131,000 killed.
Zelensky said Putin would conduct mobilization in early October “if we don’t create problems for him with logistics, weapons, gasoline, diesel, and if our partners don’t impose total sanctions for his aggression.”
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