He shuttered his four hair salons in Siberia and decided to set up shop in Belgrade -- where thousands of potential customers already lay in wait frequenting the city's Russian bars, restaurants and kindergartens.

In the three years since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, tens of thousands of Russians have flocked to Serbia.

Its status as one of the few visa-free European destinations available to Russian nationals has proved to be a powerful pull.

More than 67,000 Russians have been given temporary residency since the war in Ukraine began in February 2022, according to Serbian border police.

Experts suggest the number is likely higher with thousands more doing regular "visa runs" -- leaving and re-entering the country after 30 days of continuous stay.

"When you go abroad, you realise how nice it is to visit a place where you can speak your native language," Olga Druzhkova, a 31-year-old blogger from Saint Petersburg, told AFP while having her hair done at Alexandrov's salon.

- Avoiding conscription -

Since the start of the war, Russian nationals have registered over 11,000 companies in Serbia, according to official statistics, with the majority linked to the IT sector.

While some were lured by business and career opportunities, others arrived in the Balkans fleeing military mobilisation ordered by President Vladimir Putin after a string of setbacks on the battlefield in 2022.

Andrey Girko was one of them. The 41-year-old now runs a private kindergarten in the northern city of Novi Sad.

"We have waiting lists for new people because even now, some are still arriving," Girko told AFP, saying he plans to stay in Serbia for the foreseeable future regardless of what happens with the war.

Alexandrov is also keen to stay, saying "we now have a lot of clients", many of them locals.

The Russian world in Serbia is not without its contradictions, however.

Cultural and historic relations between the two predominantly Slavic and Orthodox Christian countries stretch back centuries, leading many Serbs to support the invasion of Ukraine.

While the country has welcomed those fleeing war, the Belgrade government's refusal to sanction the Kremlin over the conflict has also seen Russian diplomats booted out of other countries for alleged spying relocating to Serbia.

Russian state-funded media outlets -- including Sputnik and Russia Today -- have also expanded operations in Serbia as they were banned elsewhere on the continent.

Their presence has helped amplify "Kremlin propaganda", said media watchdog Reporters Without Borders, with the European Union repeatedly expressing concerns that Serbia, despite being a candidate country for EU membership, "has become fertile ground for Russian state presence and the spread of Russian war propaganda".

- Apolitical -

Anti-war protests have attracted few Russians emigres, with many fearing running the wrath of Serbia's intelligence services.

According to a survey conducted by the Belgrade Centre for Security Policy (BCSP), nearly 73 percent of Russians in Serbia expressed little interest in political activities.

"Russians in Serbia prioritise their safety and economic well-being," said the think tank in a report published this week.

Anecdotes are rife in the community about activists that have been intimated by authorities along with scattered cases of Russians being barred or deported for organising anti-Kremlin activities.

For many, Serbia has offered a fresh start far from the economic turmoil, sanctions, and unrest ignited by the war.

Like the thousands of Russians who fled the Bolshevik revolution to settle in Serbia a century ago, many are hoping to make the country their home even if peace comes.

According to the BCSP survey, roughly 40 percent of Russians in Serbia said they plan to stay for the next five years.

Another 57 percent said they would be willing to return home, but only if the war in Ukraine ends.

For some of those planning to stay, that means making local friends and learning the language.

"You shouldn't live in the Russian bubble," said hairdresser Alexandrov.