Faced by a shrinking population, Russia needs migrant workers to sustain its development, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in an interview with RIA Novosti on November 22.

“Migrants are a necessity. The fact is, we are facing a very strained demographic situation. We live in the largest country in the world, but there are very few of us,” Peskov remarked.

"In order for us to develop dynamically and implement all development plans, of course, we need workers. We only welcome them," he added.

Peskov spoke amid an ongoing xenophobic backlash against Central Asian migrant workers in Russia, which was sparked by the killing of at least 140 people by Islamist terrorists who attacked the Crocus City Hall concert venue in outer Moscow in March. Four Tajik labour migrants accused of carrying out the gun attack remain in custody in Russia awaiting trial.

“Migrants are not the problem—the problem is illegal migrants,” the Kremlin spokesman added, noting that the authorities are planning to step up efforts to combat unlawful migration, which he argued provides conditions for “religious extremism” and “drug abuse”.

Reporting on a survey by hh.ru and the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RSPP), Kommersant in early October outlined how 53% of Russian companies that employ migrants were suffering a shortage of such workers, with the issue expected to worsen due to stricter measures being brought in against illegal migration and tightened legislation.

Tajik newspaper Asia-Plus, meanwhile, continues to analyse how together Russian politicians and Russian media are producing a “propaganda of fear” over migrants in Russia, distorting information, exaggerating statistics such as crime rates and manipulating facts.

Russia’s labour shortages will have been worsened by the hundreds of thousands of Russian men killed and seriously wounded in its war with Ukraine, which has lasted just over 1,000 days. Prioritised demands of the war economy will also no doubt have placed extra strain on segments of the non-war economy when it comes to sourcing enough workers.  

Demonstrating Russia’s dependence in some employment fields on Central Asian migrant workers, Kyrgyz media outlet 24.kg on November 22 reported that 77,000 Kyrgyzstanis work as taxi drivers in Moscow region, while there were only 1,500 taxi drivers from countries that are not members of the Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union (EEU).