Diary from Armenia: Who else can live there?

N are Nikoghosyan stores his personal belongings in large and small bags. They belong to her and her brother. With every bag she fills, some of her patience dwindles. "I hate this apartment. And I hate these constant moves," says the 22-year-old. She has to move out again. But she hasn't found a new apartment yet.

Nare has been living in the Armenian capital Yerevan for six years. She moved from her home village to the city to study. Here she initially shared an apartment with three other young women from the same village. She is now working and her brother is studying. But now the siblings have to go looking for an apartment again.

The rise in real estate prices in Armenia began ahead of Russia's parliamentary elections in September. Experts had predicted a renewed mobilization. The situation worsened further when it became known that the Russian armed forces had been increased by 120,000 additional contract soldiers in the fall. During this time, a new wave of migration from Russia to Armenia began.

Donations to the taz panter foundation provide financial support for independent and critical journalists. The taz panter foundation promotes young talent, international exchange and moral courage.

“In the last quarter, the Armenian real estate market changed drastically,” explains economist Agasi Tavadyan, founder of the data platform Tvyal.com. The cadastral values ​​of real estate increased by an average of 23 percent. “The increase in the rental market is even more noticeable,” explains Tavadyyan. "Rents have increased by 19 to 70 percent. Prices have risen particularly sharply in the outskirts."

Nare is distraught over this development. "It is deeply hurtful to be treated like a second-class citizen in your own home country. I don't understand how young people of all people can be confronted with such a fait accompli," she says and adds: "I have no idea how we are supposed to find a new apartment. Where at all? And at what price?"

They are Armenians who want to make quick money in Yerevan at the expense of Russian immigrants. At the same time, of the foreigners who buy in Armenia, 72 percent of all real estate purchases are made by Russian citizens.

The state does not regulate rent levels. Landlords can charge astronomical prices – and that’s exactly what many of them do. The victims are often the locals. A student shared apartment also has to vacate its apartment because the landlord wants to rent it out to Russians at a higher price in the future.

The monthly rent for a two-room apartment in Yerevan is now often 800 or 1,000 euros - that's more than an average monthly wage in Armenia.

In addition to her studies and her evening part-time job, Nare and her brother now also have to look for a new apartment. They don't have much time for this - after all, they also have to sleep.

Sona Martirosyan is a journalist living in Yerevan (Armenia). She was a participant in an Eastern Europe workshop organized by the taz panter foundation.

Translated from Armenian by Tigran Petrosyan.

Donations to the taz panter foundation provide financial support to independent and critical journalists on site and in exile as part of the “Diary of War and Peace” project.