Inter-ethnic peace in Russia at a time of global turbulence

The terrorist attack in Crocus City Hall and its media coverage led to an increase in anti-immigration sentiment within the Russian society, as well as rise in legislative activity aimed at screwing the migration policy. However, in the long term, solely restrictive initiatives have been shown to be ineffective and to have a negative impact not only on the integration potential of immigrants, but also on social stability in Russia. Through a comprehensive analysis of statistical data, legal research, results of sociological surveys, institutional and structural-functional approaches, the authors demonstrate that anti-immigration initiatives may potentially reduce the migration flow to Russia, lead to the formation of ethnic enclaves, and exacerbate social and interethnic tensions. The implementation of these initiatives will impede Russia’s socio-economic development and hinder the integration of immigrants. The measures proposed by the authors, which include the creation of pre-migration training systems in the countries of origin and organised recruitment of foreign labour force, adaptation classes for migrants’ children, are designed to reduce these risks and accelerate the process of inclusion. These recommendations can be adopted by the Russian authorities to improve the effectiveness of Russian migration policy and develop comprehensive integration measures.