The Russian invasion of Thailand: Desperate to escape conscription and protect their wealth from Putin's crumbling economy, IAN BIRRELL reveals how thousands are buying homes on the paradise island of Phuket

• Source: NewsAPI.org • 34 words, ~1 min read

The golden domes of a Russian Orthodox church, topped with the traditional three-bar Slavic cross, seem incongruous as they tower over the palm trees, pineapple fields and rubber plantations of a tropical Thai island.