The integration of new Russian émigrés in Berlin life is a multi-directional process with manifold challenges that reflect migrants’ and host city responsibilities. This case report identifies the technical aspects of securing legal status and the emotional impacts of settling in Berlin, identifying the challenges and opportunities émigrés face. It highlights the experiences of a particularly vulnerable group of émigrés, LGBT Russians, and finds that despite the relative ease of settling in Germany’s capital, the uncertainty of being chased away from home remains.