“Murder is the order of the day”: Russian-speaking citizens in Ecuador described the horrors of the rebellion

Russian woman Yulia has been in Ecuador for four years. In her city the situation does not cause concern.

– The situation with crime is worst in big cities and on the coast; in our province it’s a little calmer. But people are scared everywhere,” Julia began. – Locals advise not to go out because the marginalized people have come out.

The husband of the Russian woman joins the conversation; he is Ecuadorian.

“When it all started, people were so scared that they closed their companies,” the man recalls. – Now the situation has more or less returned to normal, some restaurants and businesses are open, although the problem with criminals has not been solved. The army is trying to catch the terrorists. The most dangerous cities are Esmeraldas and Guayaquil, they are under the influence of gangs. In general, in recent years, Ecuador has turned into a transit zone through which drugs and weapons are transported. Gangs from Colombia, Mexico and other countries are fighting among themselves for control of the criminal market.

During anti-terrorism operations, a curfew was introduced in the country, which lasts from 23:00 to 05:00.

“At this time, going outside is allowed only for medical reasons and for people who are scheduled to fly out of the airport,” continues Yulia. – The police are working in enhanced mode. The cities are patrolled by the military. Markets and shops are open until 16:00. Schools, universities, and kindergartens switched to distance learning until January 15. There are fewer people on the streets, especially with children. Although here and at normal times they prefer not to let children go for a walk for safety reasons. When I first arrived here, for the first year I was the only mother who walked in the park with a stroller. She looked like a black sheep.

No one in the country is safe from robberies, kidnappings and murders. This is par for the course here. They can steal in broad daylight on the street, on a bus, near your home, or while you are standing in your car at a traffic light. At night people do not leave their houses at all. It is better not to appear in areas that are in the dangerous red zone. Although 15 years ago Ecuador was considered one of the safest countries.

– Are there many Russians in Ecuador?

– There are Russians. It’s easy to get legalized here, but only those who have their own business should count on work. Judging by social networks, compatriots have opened a brewery in Ecuador, sell ready-made food, export flowers, organize excursions for tourists, handle paperwork for emigrants, and there is a store of Russian products in the capital. Russians work in beauty salons and clothing stores.

“Basically, Russians have their own business here. Most are engaged in banana and flower exports,” adds Yulia’s husband. “But local businesses are collapsing because criminal groups are demanding tribute from them for protection. Otherwise, they threaten to kill the entrepreneur and his relatives. Hence the increase in poverty. People are in debt. Life is becoming more expensive, and income is becoming less. It is difficult for Ecuadorians to find work. Under the new laws, employers now pay hourly wages. Contacts are signed for short-term. So you might have work one week and not the next. So there is no smell of stability.”

– In Russia they are worried that we will now lose bananas. What do you think?

“I think the rebellion will affect the banana industry,” the interlocutor suggests. – By the way, some exporters of bananas, flowers and other products were forced to work for criminal groups and drug traffickers. According to rumors, parcels of goods were used to transport drugs and weapons.

– I doubt that the banana business will collapse. There are so many varieties of bananas here, where does it all go? There are fruit, vegetable, different types,” continues Yulia. – They are eaten raw, fried, steamed, boiled, they are made into pies, chips, soup. Consider them the same potatoes. They cost pennies. For a dollar you can buy 12-15 bananas, as many as fit on a branch.

– Is life expensive in Ecuador?

– I used to live in St. Petersburg. On average, living in the capital of Ecuador costs the same as in St. Petersburg. Is it possible that mobile Internet is expensive – at least $20 is the cheapest tariff. Medicine in Ecuador is at a good level, but there are not enough specialists. A paid consultation with a doctor costs $40. You will have to wait a long time for your turn for a free consultation.

The interlocutors do not undertake to predict the future situation in the country. “We hope that the president will settle everything,” Yulia sums up.

“The phone is tied to a string”

“Ecuador needs Lukashenko,” wrote Belarusian Maria in the telegram channel “We’re going to Ecuador.”

We contacted the author of the post.

“I’ve been living in Ecuador since 2019,” says Maria. “There really is a lack of order here; it should have been a long time ago to rein in the criminals, rather than negotiate with them.” According to rumors, in the 90s, crime was quickly dealt with in Belarus. A friend of mine who worked at a casino at the time recalled that crime bosses disappeared there every week without a trace. Somehow six leaders of the groups disappeared, the rest left for Moscow. In Ecuador, the authorities have their hands tied, they cannot take and remove all the bandits, because a riot will rise. A number of European countries believe that the leaders of organized crime groups cannot even be called terrorists, because this is a violation of human rights.

Maria lives in the city of Cuenca. It is relatively safe there, unlike big cities and the coast.

– We don’t have such rampant crime as in other cities. But we are used to thefts and robbery attacks; we don’t consider it something serious,” the interlocutor continues. – For example, here motorcyclists calmly take away phones from passers-by, so many tie their smartphones to a string. I don’t tie it, but I try not to walk in a deserted place.

Maria illustrates the situation in the city with photographs and videos. He takes a couple of pictures. Judging by the cards, the city lives a quiet life. The only surprise was the police in bulletproof vests on the bus.

– Now there are a lot of police on the streets and in transport. If earlier they allowed themselves to be filmed and even posed for the camera, now they demand that such footage be deleted. No fines seem to have been introduced for curfew violations, but unique punishments may follow. Recently, police stopped two men on a motorcycle during curfew. By the way, in Ecuador it is forbidden for two men to ride on the same motorcycle. The violators were forced to strip naked and drive home like that. The local community was immediately outraged, saying this was a violation of human rights.

By the way, they listen to the population here. Strikes take place regularly. Conventionally, gasoline prices rose, people immediately took to the streets. The state comes to an agreement with the people and everyone calms down. Presidents in Ecuador change like gloves. In 10 years, 9 presidents have changed. Now we have a young president, he is 36 years old. People believe that he will deal with crime.

As for the leaders of criminal groups, ordinary people are not interested in their biography. Only residents of the coast, where there is the most crime, are aware. According to rumors, children from poor families began to be attracted to gangster groups.

– Are there many poor people in the country?

– In our city, the division between rich and poor is not particularly noticeable. Except that the wealthy have larger plots of land and higher houses. But there is a class stratification here. It feels like they would rather hire a white person.

– Do you have enough to live on?

– I have enough. The cost of rental housing is comparable to Minsk prices. Friends rent a simple apartment for $260. Apartments in a luxury building can be rented for $500. In Minsk I rent an apartment for 450.

The cost of living for two is $1,500, and with this money you feel great here. As for the cost of food, a chicken costs $2.70 (240 rubles), three dozen eggs – $5 (440 rubles), milk – a dollar (90 rubles), fruits and vegetables are cheap.

There are a lot of Russian-speaking people here, residence permits are given without any problems. You can get a job as a freelancer at a school or university. Non-tenured teachers receive 900 dollars (80 thousand rubles), full-time teachers receive more than 2000 (177 thousand rubles). The minimum pension in Ecuador is 450 dollars (40 thousand rubles). My mother, an assistant professor at Minsk University, receives a pension of 200 dollars (18 thousand rubles). Here, a person with the same status will have a pension of 2,000 dollars (177 thousand rubles).

Regarding possible problems with the supply of bananas from Ecuador to Russia, Maria reassures: “Supplies have not been stopped. There have been official statements about this – planes with bananas are flying. Let’s see what will happen next”.

“The state is interested in repression”

Journalist and conflict expert from Ecuador Francisco Palma Sanchez described his vision of the situation.

“Some fellow journalists are exacerbating what happened too much.” Even relatives are trying to scare those around them by sending out false information,” the interlocutor began. – The main events took place in Guayaquil, Esmeraldas, Quito, Machala, Santo Domingo. There is uncertainty in the country right now. People are afraid because there are no real results from the intervention of the state and security agencies in what is happening.

President Noboa declared a state of emergency and then declared that there was an internal armed conflict. During this time, rallies are prohibited. The head of state ordered the armed forces to conduct military operations to neutralize the organized crime group.

At the moment, organized crime groups have been identified that appeared due to the inaction of police officers. The government should first begin to clean up the law enforcement agencies, where the level of corruption is high.

According to official data, 7,878 crimes were committed in Ecuador in 2023. This is the highest figure in the country’s history.

In addition to crime, the country remains at a high unemployment rate. There are no social unemployment benefits. Ecuadorians find it difficult to find work. And taking out loans to start your own business is expensive. Poverty in the country has increased. As of June 2023, 27 out of 100 Ecuadorians live below the poverty line. These people live on less than $3 a day.

– You have a new young president who promised to fight crime. Do people believe him?

– Noboa says everything correctly. But at the moment I don’t see any results. The authorities do not interfere in deactivating the conflict and do not disclose riots in advance. It seems that the state is corrupt and is only interested in repression.