Russia's acute migrant shortage linked to the coronavirus exodus is keeping the country from achieving its “ambitious” goals, the Kremlin said Thursday.
“We’re very, very short of these migrants to implement our ambitious plans,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
“We have to build more than we’re building now, but we need working hands to do it,” the state-run TASS news agency quoted Peskov as saying.
Russia’s government estimates that the country’s population decline hit a 15-year high in 2020, driven by record-setting excess deaths and outmigration linked to Covid-19 border closures.
Late last year, the Interior Ministry estimated that nearly half of all migrants living in Russia before the pandemic had left the country.
Russia is attempting to implement its ambitious $400-billion National Projects development package — which covers areas including housing, infrastructure, health and culture — by its already pushed-back deadline of 2030.
Peskov’s comments came after one of President Vladimir Putin’s senior aides decried deteriorating attitudes toward migrants and warned of tensions stemming from failure to integrate migrant children into the Russian school system.
“This situation has a significant impact on the state of interethnic relations,” Kremlin deputy chief of staff Magomedsalam Magomedov was quoted as saying at a national policy forum.
Peskov said he was not aware of sociological studies indicating worsening attitudes toward migrants, but stressed that Russia should provide conditions for migrant children to adapt to Russian society.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.