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STORY: Nestled in the northern Armenian town of Tumanyan, a derelict factory is roaring back to life.

The once forgotten and decaying Soviet textile factory has been repurposed as a shelter and art space.

It’s now a sanctuary for artists and other emigres from Russia, Iran and Ukraine, whose lives have been turned upside down by war and political turmoil.

Polina Ivanova launched the project - called "Abastan" or shelter in Armenian - in late 2022.

She says locals were unconvinced at first, but have since come accepted it.

Reuters went to take a look in August and September of this year.

"It’s a relationship that has become much better over time. I think at the beginning people were really weary and there was very little trust. And now every day there are more friendships, more trust. Sometimes there’s tension, but we are aware of that, we expect this to happen. But I think that for every moment of tension that arises, even every bit of conflict… eventually is productive for the relationship."

The space now hosts creatives from around the world - from painters, to puppet-makers and photographers…

Like Arghavan Majd - a painter from Iran.

When she was interviewed a few weeks by Reuters she said that while the atmosphere in Armenia is still conservative in nature, she feels freer and more able to make personal connections.

Since Majd left Iran, the country has been convulsed by protests over the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody.

She says she now has no intention of returning home.

Torfeh Ekhlasi, a puppet maker also from Iran, has used the town as a means of escape.

"If we compare Armenia to Iran, I feel that we sadder there. We are completely paralyzed by bad news... But here all the people are so alive."

Also escaping is Danil.

A software engineer from the Russian city of Perm, he left after President Vladimir Putin called up 300,000 men last year to fight in the war in Ukraine.

"I came here on October 14, 2022, after the partial mobilization was announced in Russia. I did not agree with the country’s politics and thought that it was dangerous to stay in Russia given my views. So I painted over a “Z” (pro-Russian war symbol) symbol on my house and left the country."

How do the locals now feel about having become a haven for young emigres?

68-year-old Ararat says the repurposed factory has helped breathe new life in the town of 1,000 people...

Bringing joy to a place that had seen factory closures, unemployment and emigration since the collapse of the Soviet Union in the 1990s.