Patriarch Kirill warned of the risk of “losing Russia” due to the influx of migrants

Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus’ said that over the past year the problem with migrants arriving in the country, who often do not speak Russian and do not respect Russia, has worsened. According to the patriarch, the task of attracting cheap labor should not be solved in this way.

“I urge representatives of government authorities and leaders of the business community to remember that if the described trend continues, we will lose ourselves, we will lose Russia – a multinational state, the core of which is the Russian Orthodox people,” said the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church at the diocesan meeting of Moscow (quoted from RIA Novosti “).

The Patriarch said that migrants often “make no effort” to integrate into Russian society, as well as to develop respect for Russia’s religious and cultural customs. Attracting migrants for the sake of “short-term economic benefits,” he said, threatens the emergence of “a huge number of people belonging to a different culture.”

December 14, Russian President Vladimir Putin statedthat the country needs labor, but it is important to be guided by the interests of the indigenous population. At the same time, he pointed out the need to create “human conditions” for migrants and determine how much funds will be allocated for these purposes. The president noted that there are currently approximately 10 million labor migrants in Russia.

Chairman of the Investigative Committee Alexander Bastrykin proposed introducing an accurate calculation of the need for labor resources in sectors of the economy in order to establish registration of foreigners, as well as oblige employers to provide housing for migrant workers. Business Ombudsman Boris Titov notedthat tightening the regime for entry into the Russian Federation for foreigners is unrealistic due to the shortage of labor.

About Muslims’ concerns about migrant phobia – in the Kommersant article “Interethnic relations seemed biased”.

Lusine Balasyan