INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
As the Russian ruble has slumped to post-invasion lows in recent months, talk of a possible exodus among millions of Central Asian labor
migrants has bubbled to the surface.Federal and local news channels have been awash with stories about how hundreds of thousands could leave
Russia altogether, as the value of their salary has fallen and the amount they have to send home to families in the likes of Uzbekistan,
Bakhrom Islamov, head of the Uzbekistan diaspora association in Moscow, told The Moscow Times
In a poll he conducted in August of more than 20,000 Uzbek workers, half of respondents said they were considering leaving Russia after the
ruble fell to 100 against the U.S
drivers to construction workers and fruit pickers
An exodus would be felt sharply across the country, amplifying an already painful labor shortage playing out across the Russian
highest ever recorded since researchers started collecting data in 1996
The official unemployment rate is at a record low of just 3%
repeat border crossings, people returning home for short trips, those who leave the country on visa runs or seasonal workers who rotate in
and out of the country, said economist Vladimir Milov, a former government official turned opposition figure
Moreover, year-on-year comparisons are still distorted because of coronavirus-related travel restrictions and related visa
originally came to Russia as labor migrants have acquired citizenship or permanent residence in recent years.Reports of hundreds of
thousands heading for the exit are likely overblown
Central Asia also speak against the flow of migrants drying up
jobs for, said Islamov.Instead of an overall plunge in migration, Islamov sees a shift in the kinds of workers that will be looking to move
a policy forum earlier in September.But migrant rights groups say those words are not backed up by actions, pointing to a general
on workplaces and accommodation, frequent document checks by police on the streets of major cities, and even draft summons being issued to
However, with every month the numbers coming from Central Asia grow lower
