Historical Background of Migration from Central Asian Countries to the Russian Federation

This article examines the historical background of migration from Central Asian countries to the Russian Federation, drawing on five recent academic publications published between 2021 and 2025. These publications focus on labor migration, the transformation of the post-Soviet migration space, and factors that contribute to the sustainability of migration flows. It is shown that current migration from Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and other countries of the region cannot be explained solely by current economic difficulties. Its sustainability is linked to the long-term influence of historically established factors, including a shared Soviet past, linguistic proximity, established mobility channels, institutional accessibility of the Russian labor market, and the dependence of some households on earnings outside their country of residence. Particular attention is paid to how different research approaches explain the persistence of Russia as the primary destination for labor migration from Central Asia, even in the face of a pandemic, sanctions, and changing government regulation mechanisms. Macroeconomic, historical-institutional, and systemic approaches to migration analysis are systematized. The article concludes that historical preconditions continue to determine not only the origins of migration flows but also their ability to adapt to crises, maintaining their structural significance for Russia and the countries of the region. The author’s views on the role of the COVID-19 pandemic, which did not destroy the existing migration system but temporarily altered its scale, the speed of recovery, forms of employment, and the conditions for the adaptation of foreign workers into Russian society as a whole, are separately considered.

1. Komarovsky V.V. Labor Migration from Neighboring Countries: National Contingents in the Regions of Russia. Rossiya i novye gosudarstva Evrazii [Russia and the New States of Eurasia]. 2021; 4(53):200–220 [In Russian]. https://doi.org/10.20542/2073-4786-2021-4-200-220.

2. Krasinets E.S. International Labor Migration in the Development of Modern Russia. Narodonaselenie [Population]. 2022; 25(2):104–115 [In Russian]. https://doi.org/10.19181/population.2022.25.2.9.

3. Rakhmonov A.Kh. Reasons for Choosing Russia as the Main Direction for Labor Migration from Tajikistan in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic and Sanctions. Upravlenie [Management]. 2023; 11(2):114–123 [In Russian]. https://doi.org/ 0.26425/2309-3633-2023-11-2-114-123.

4. Rakhmonov A.Kh. The Role of Labor Migrants from Central Asia in the Socio-Economic Development of Russia in the Context of New Global Challenges. Upravlenie [Management]. 2024; 12(2):82–90 [In Russian]. https://doi.org/10.26425/2309-3633-2024-12-2-82-90.

5. Izluchenko T.V., Gergilev D.N., Dudin P.N., Nesterenko D.N. Transformation of the Russia-Central Asia Migration System Amid Twenty-First Century Global Processes: Problems of Modeling. Oriental Studies. 2025; 18(2):353–372 [In Russian]. https://doi.org/10.22162/2619-0990-2025-78-2-353-372.