In the early 1920s, about a thousand Russian refugees arrived in South America. Ten years later, their number was halved: some moved to other countries on the continent, while others returned to Europe.

Many of them found work in their fields. Lieutenant General Alexei von Schwartz taught at the Argentine Military Academy, scientist Vladimir Dobrovolsky led an expedition to Antarctica in 1924, and engineer Alexander Danilevsky worked on dam design. Biologists Sergey Shakhovsky and Dmitry Gavrilenko founded the national park "Bariloche," which was called the "Argentine Switzerland."

In 1925, a permanent ballet troupe appeared at the Argentine opera house "Colón," led by Georgy Kyakht, a former soloist of the Mariinsky Theatre. A few years later, choreographer Boris Romanov from the "Russian Ballet of Diaghilev" became the chief ballet master. Ballerina Elena Smirnova engaged in teaching during her emigration and opened a dance department at the National Conservatory of Buenos Aires.

A Russian library operated in the capital. Officer Mikhail Nechaev founded the Pushkin Committee, which published the poet's books and organized literary evenings. Stanislavsky's student Galina Tolmacheva translated Pushkin's works into Spanish.

Journalist Igor Okuntsov wrote in the émigré newspaper "Seyatel" in December 1939: "Suddenly, the immense influence of Russian culture in Argentina became evident, especially in Buenos Aires, which is called the 'South American Paris.' This beautiful city is literally enchanted by Russian music, theater, and art. From the opera house 'Colón' to a cabaret-restaurant with a samovar and Russian embroidered shirts."