Migration factors in the post-Soviet space (experience of Armenian migrants in the Vologda oblast)

After the collapse of the USSR, post-Soviet countries have experienced complex social processes, associated with both changes in the socio-political model and socio-cultural shifts. As a result of the geopolitical rearrangement, the former republics of the once unified union state found themselves included in the system of international migration flows, while their population often considered migration to countries previously in close ties as the only way to ensure their livelihoods. In the post-Soviet period, the Russian Federation is one of the main points of migration from the Republic of Armenia, while Russia can be considered a recipient country, while Armenia is a donor country. The research is devoted to the study of migration factors including taking into account the existing social network, in the case of the experience of Armenian migrants in the Russian region. In order to identify objective and subjective factors of migration from Armenia to the Vologda Oblast from the perspective of migrants themselves, we have conducted a qualitative sociological study from August 2018 to January 2019 (through an informal interview). Various socio-economic and cultural contacts have been formed between the Republic of Armenia and the Vologda Oblast (until 1929 it was Vologda Province) for more than a century, respectively, social networks which are the most important socio-cultural factor of the Armenians’ migration to the region in contemporary period. The research results shows that migrants associate the reasons for their relocation from Armenia to the Vologda Oblast not only with objective factors (both economic and political), but also with subjective ones - the presence/absence of social networks. We have concluded that the choice of migration direction is primarily influenced by the presence of social networks: “migrant networks” are being formed as various social interactions between population of the giving and host society. The research results can be useful for developing the work of Russian local self-government bodies with Armenian migrants and at the level of expanding the activities of state bodies of the giving society to preserve qualified human resources in the country.