Russia restricts behavior of migrant workers despite needing them badly

RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS - In Brief 26 Jul 2024 by Alex Teddy

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On July 15 Russia published rules on what guest workers should and should not do. Most of them guest workers come from former USSR countries such as Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. They are overwhelmingly Muslim. They are told not to pray in public services or to sacrifice sheep for religious festivals. At least 12% if the population of Russia is Muslim. But most of them are Russian citizens who are from the Chechen, Tatar and Bashkir ethnic minorities.The rules are part of a course made by the Federal Agency of Ethnic Affairs. Migrant workers are told that they must speak good Russian and know Russia's law. They are told not to speak their own language in public and to refrain from sexual harassment. Almost all migrants speak Russian, even if badly in some cases. A video about how to behave reminds viewers that they can speed up the process of obtaining citizenship if they serve in the army.The government is considering the adaptation course compulsory for migrants. It is being tested in 4 regions including Moscow. About 10.5 million migrant workers are in Russia.They are disproportionately employed in dangerous and low paid sectors like sanitation, construction and agriculture. Many migrant workers would like to become Russian but this takes 10 years and costs thousands of USD. It is also administratively very complex. Therefore, very few manage to become Russian. There is significant racism against Central Asians. Russia's birth rate is well below replacement level. The Ukraine War has caused hundreds of thousands of young people to emigrate and killed at least tens of thousands of men. This has been somewhat offset by Russia annexing some of the Ukraine and ...