Fewer Compatriots Returned to Russia in 2025 than at Any Time in Last 15 Years

Paul Goble

            Staunton, Feb. 17 – Only 26,700 people took part in Moscow’s program to support the return of people with roots in Russia to their homeland in 2025, more than 16 percent fewer than the year before and the lowest number in the last 15 years, a trend that is only adding to Russia’s demographic difficulties.

            Moscow experts said that the decline reflected propaganda by other countries against this program at a time of Putin’s continuing war in Ukraine, economic difficulties in Russia itself, and language requirements that have been toughed. But most argue that the reason that fewer are returning is because those who wanted to already have (kommersant.ru/doc/8440619).

            Each of these factors certainly played a role in the decline: Coverage of Putin’s war has certainly discouraged some, information about Russia’s economdesiresy has discouraged others, and the risk that children of those returning will have to take Russian language tests has concerned others, prompting Putin to talk about dropping such requirements.

            Moreover, there likely is some truth in the assertion of Russian officials that those who want to return already have. But that is not completely the case as many who do want to claim compatriot status and return are being denied that opportunity because their language skills and ethnicity do not correspond to Moscow’s requirements.

            The most significant of these groups, of course, is the Circassian nation. There are more than seven million Circassians living abroad, and even if only 10 percent of them came back, Moscow could claim victory as far as the return of compatriots is concerned. But the return of Circassians would change the ethnic mix in the North Caucasus, something Moscow is against.

            In many respects, the most important aspect of the current decline in the return of compatriots is that they continue to come from the five countries of Central Asia. Their departure from that region and return to the Russian Federation may slow the decline of the ethnic Russians in that country’s population but it will reduce the influence of Russians in that region.