Moscow Must Forcibly Assimilate Migrants who Want to Remain in Russia Permanently, Ukhov Says

Paul Goble

    Staunton, Apr. 16 – Russia stands “at a migration-demographic crossroads,” Ilya Ukhov says, and the future of the country depends on whether it chooses “multi-nationalism” which will lead to increasing problems of “a course of force assimilation so as to block elements alien to our ethno-cultural core.”

    The pro-Kremlin political scientist argues that if Russia were to choose multi-nationalism, that would lead to the formation of a series of closed communities, a loss of tax revenues, and the fragmentation of the country, something very few will support if they recognize that the survival of the country is at stake (vz.ru/opinions/2025/4/16/1326337.html).

    Consequently, Ukhov says, “the only way out can be forced ethno-cultural assimilation with a sharp increase in the level of representation in the public consciousness of Russians and other indigenous peoples of Russia, who have their own national territories only within our borders and in no other places.”

    Ukhov’s position may seem to offer indigenous peoples of Russia “who have their own national territories within our borders and in no other places” an improved status while declaring to all migrants that they must assimilate or agree to serious restrictions including the length of time they can remain in Russia.

    But in fact, Moscow’s behavior in the past suggests that a more hostile attitude toward non-Russian immigrants will be accompanied by more hostile one toward non-Russian indigenes, a pattern that will likely trigger precisely the kind of conflicts that Ukhov says his favored approach will avoid, albeit with the indigenous population rather than the migrants.