Ilya, in his early 20s, had just finished work at a clothing retail store near the edge of Moscow and was waiting in the metro around 10 pm for his girlfriend to arrive.
He said he came from Belgorod in western Russia near the border with Ukraine. Belgorod is considered to be one of Russia’s better regions, in part due to its agriculture base.
When asked why he moved to Moscow, Ilya said ”it is impossible to live in the [Russian] regions.”
Ilya explained that he earns double what his mom makes, despite her having a much more important job. Ilya said his mom is responsible for water supply to residents in one of Belgorod’s towns.
Ilya said his girlfriend also moved from the regions to Moscow.