Migration as a (Geo- )Political Challenge in the Post-Soviet Space: Border Regimes, Policy Choices, Visa Agendas

157 Pages·2019·3.562 MB·English

by  Olga R. Gulina

“Well-written and well-structured publication on the highly topical issue of migration in the SPPS
post-Soviet area. Easy to read and extremely useful for multidisciplinary research.” 212 Edited by
Roman Petrov, Professor of European Law, National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy SPPS Andreas Umland
“Sobering, critical, and well-cooked research on migration within the Post-Soviet space. A Soviet and Post-Soviet Politics and Society Vol. 212
must-read for scholars on Russian and Eurasian studies worldwide.” G
Ivan Timofeev, Program Director, Russian International Affairs Council, Moscow u
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“An excellent presentation of all relevant aspects of migration from and within Eastern Europe a
since the 1990s, providing a fresh perspective that is usually missing in the EU‘s current

debate on this topical issue. Gulina reminds us of how much national identity and regional

political interest determine migration-related legislation on the European continent and how

this also connects with political conflicts in the post-Soviet space.” M
Mirko Kruppa, Head of Politics, European Union Delegation in Russia, Moscow ig
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a
“Gulina offers a fresh and truly complete consideration of migration in the post-Soviet space, t
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not only as a key factor in consolidating the ethnic and national identities of the region’s newly n

independent states but also as an extension of foreign policy and geopolitics as a tool in the a
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hands of governments. Her treatment of the interplay of territorial conflicts in Central Asia, the
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Caucasus, and Eastern Europe with population movements within and out of the post-Soviet (
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region is an especially timely and important contribution. This work draws on a vast trove of
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primary source material and sets a high bar for objectivity and methodological rigor.” o
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Matthew Rojansky, Director, The Kennan Institute, Woodrow Wilson Center, Washington, DC )P
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“This book features remarkable research and an outstanding review of developments in the lit
area of migration between former states of the USSR and the regional successor entities ic
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and groupings such as NIS, CIS, EAEU, and GUAM. It touches upon migration as a tool for l
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pursuing internal and external political ambitions, sometimes reaching the limits of politics, h
where frictions and conflicts start.” a
Radim Žák, Regional Coordinator, International Centre for Migration Policy Development, Vienna lle
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“One of the best documented and systematic records of the history of migration within the e
post-Soviet space and beyond its borders, written by a Russian living in Europe who deeply in
understands the mechanisms both of migration from the newly independent states to Russia t
h Olga R. Gulina
and from Russia to the West.” e

P
Vladislav Inozemtzev, Director, Center for Research on Post-Industrial Societies, Moscow
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s
“This book constitutes a unique resource on migration politics of the former Soviet Republics; t
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S Migration as a (Geo-)
it is empirically rich and analytically nuanced. Gulina reveals migration as a geopolitical, de-
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mographic, and social challenge for the countries in the region.” v
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Saidasror Saidov, Department Chief, Tajik Ministry of Labor, Migration and Employment, Dushanbe
t
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The author: Dr. Olga R. Gulina is acting director and founder of RUSMPI – the Institute on a
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Migration Policy in Berlin. e
in the Post-Soviet Space
The author of the foreword: Dr. Nils Muižnieks was the Council of Europe’s Commissioner for
Human Rights in 2012-2018.
Border Regimes, Policy Choices, Visa Agendas
ISBN: 978-3-8382-1338-5
With a foreword by Nils Muižnieks
Distributed by ibidem ibidem
ibd
Soviet and Post-Soviet Politics and Society (SPPS) Vol. 212
ISSN 1614-3515

General Editor: Andreas Umland, Commissioning Editor: Max Jakob Horstmann,
Institute for Euro-Atlantic Cooperation, Kyiv, [email protected] London,[email protected]

EDITORIAL COMMITTEE*
DOMESTIC & COMPARATIVE POLITICS FOREIGN POLICY & INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
Prof. Ellen Bos, Andrássy University of Budapest Dr. Peter Duncan, University College London
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Prof. Richard Sakwa, University of Kent at Canterbury Dr. Lisbeth Tarlow, Harvard University, Cambridge
Dr. Sarah Whitmore, Oxford Brookes University Dr. Christian Wipperfürth, N-Ost Network, Berlin
Dr. Harald Wydra, University of Cambridge Dr. William Zimmerman, University of Michigan
SOCIETY, CLASS & ETHNICITY HISTORY, CULTURE & THOUGHT
Col. David Glantz, “Journal of Slavic Military Studies” Dr. Catherine Andreyev, University of Oxford
Dr. Marlène Laruelle, George Washington University Prof. Mark Bassin, Södertörn University
Dr. Stephen Shulman, Southern Illinois University Prof. Karsten Brüggemann, Tallinn University
Prof. Stefan Troebst, University of Leipzig Dr. Alexander Etkind, University of Cambridge
POLITICAL ECONOMY & PUBLIC POLICY Dr. Gasan Gusejnov, Moscow State University
Dr. Andreas Goldthau, Central European University Prof. Leonid Luks, Catholic University of Eichstaett
Dr. Robert Kravchuk, University of North Carolina Dr. Olga Malinova, Russian Academy of Sciences
Dr. David Lane, University of Cambridge Dr. Richard Mole, University College London
Dr. Carol Leonard, Higher School of Economics, Moscow Prof. Andrei Rogatchevski, University of Tromsø
Dr. Maria Popova, McGill University, Montreal Dr. Mark Tauger, West Virginia University

ADVISORY BOARD*
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Prof. em. Archie Brown, University of Oxford Prof. Olga Popova, St. Petersburg State University
Dr. Vyacheslav Bryukhovetsky, Kyiv-Mohyla Academy Dr. Alex Pravda, University of Oxford
Prof. Timothy Colton, Harvard University, Cambridge Dr. Erik van Ree, University of Amsterdam
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Prof. Dale Herspring, Kansas State University Prof. Yuri Shapoval, Ukrainian Academy of Sciences
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Prof. Mikhail Ilyin, MGIMO (U) MID RF, Moscow Dr. Lisa Sundstrom, University of British Columbia
Prof. Vladimir Kantor, Higher School of Economics Dr. Philip Walters, “Religion, State and Society”, Oxford
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Prof. Herbert Küpper, Institut für Ostrecht Regensburg Dr. Andrew Wilson, University College London
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* While the Editorial Committee and Advisory Board support the General Editor in the choice and improvement of manuscripts
for publication, responsibility for remaining errors and misinterpretations in the series’ volumes lies with the books’ authors.
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212 Olga R. Gulina
Migration as a (Geo-)Political Challenge in the Post-
Soviet Space
Border Regimes, Policy Choices, Visa Agendas
With a foreword by Nils Muižnieks
ISBN 978-3-8382-1338-5
Olga R. Gulina
MIGRATION AS A
(GEO-)POLITICAL CHALLENGE
IN THE POST-SOVIET SPACE
Border Regimes, Policy Choices, Visa Agendas
With a foreword by Nils Muiznieks
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Cover picture: © copyright 2019 by Mikhail Minakov. Printed with kind permission.
ISBN-13: 978-3-8382-7338-9
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To Tamara, Rifmir,
Rüdiger, Alexander, Timur,
Ursula and Helmut.

The history of this book began in 1984, when a little girl received a
96-page book with a bright yellow cover, titled 15 Republics’ Sisters,
from her parents for her achievements at preschool. This children’s
book tells stories about traditions, culture and daily life in 15 former
Soviet republics. It is this book that has always been and remains a
small engine, pushing the author into the distant roads through the
newly independent states of the former USSR.
This children’s book and the book in your hands are the au-
thor’s personal proof that long roads begin in children’s dreams,
and can be inspired by the gift of a good book from beloved people.

Table of Contents
Abbreviations ...................................................................................... 11
Foreword .............................................................................................. 13
Introduction ......................................................................................... 17
Chapter 1: Legal Framework of Migration Management in
Post-Soviet States ............................................................................... 19
Regulation of Migration in the 1990s ........................................ 19
Regulation of Migration in the 2000s ........................................ 23
Regulation of Migration 2010-2018 ........................................... 25
Chapter 2: Migration Management as a Geopolitical Tool
in the Post-Soviet Space .................................................................... 29
Russia and Georgia: Neither Friends nor Enemies ................. 30
Russia and Ukraine: Between Confrontation and
Cooperation .................................................................................. 33
Russia and Belarus: The Union State divided by
Straight Lines ................................................................................ 35
Chapter 3: Migration as a Geopolitical Challenge for Russia .... 37
Migration as a Demographic Challenge ................................... 38
Political Challenge of Migration in Russia ............................... 43
Migration as a Social Challenge ................................................. 47
Chapter 4: Migration as a Geopolitical Challenge for Ukraine . 51
Going to the West ........................................................................ 52
Going to Russia ............................................................................ 56
Chapter 5: Ukrainian Nationals Searching for Shelter and
Asylum in Russia, Belarus and within Ukraine ........................... 61
The Statistical Overview ............................................................. 62
Situation in Russia ....................................................................... 64
Work Patent (Labor License) ...................................................... 64
9