When we talk about migration to the Russian Federation, the main receiving countries that come to mind are those in Central Asia, but rarely do we think about Russia’s southwestern neighbor, Turkey. Towards the end of the Cold War, Turkey improved their relations with the Soviet Union through trade deals, which allowed Turkish companies to enter the Soviet market.
During this period Turkish construction companies had been very active in North Africa and the Middle East, but as the demand fell “a high number of project-tied migrants and professionals” found work in the Soviet Union.1 Turkish companies and businesspeople continued to find success and projects in the 1990s even after the collapse of the Soviet Union, bringing workers and money into Moscow and St. Petersburg. All of this raises the question: what kind of experiences have Turkish migrants had, in comparison to their Central Asian counterparts?
Since the beginning of the 21st century Turkish migrant workers have had a high degree of success in finding work. From 2003 to 2008, their numbers grew “30-50 per cent per annum [totaling more than 130,000 Turkish citizens]” putting them in fifth place behind Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, China and Ukraine.2 Although most of these migrants are situated in Moscow or the Caucuses, they have spread out all over the country and in some places make up more than half of all foreign workers.
The majority of Turkish migrants are employed in construction and are known as “responsible, disciplined workers who carry out high-quality construction,” which means they are trusted and have relatively few problems with the government.3 On the other hand, Central Asians are seen as unwanted aliens that will rob ethnic Russians in times of trouble.4
In comparison to this, Central Asian migrants have complained of police harassment and racism despite hailing from countries that are members of the Eurasian Economic Union. Unlike Turkish migrants, most Central Asian migrants have a knowledge of Russian that “enables them to take low-status positions that locals reject” yet are still rejected by officials.5 Police officers are known to hunt down those with Asiatic features and take their documents, only to extort the migrants by making them buy it back. Unfortunately, a stigma has been developing around the world that Central Asians are extremists and terrorists following a string of attacks across the world in 2017, which has allowed Russians to target them in the name of national defense.6
Another big difference between the two communities is the high quality of life given to Turkish migrants. Since their introduction into the Russian market, Turkish construction companies have invested in settlements for their workers. Not only do they get “a room… to accommodate four persons, [access to] a toilet and shower…, [and] a refrigerator and TV,” but the company pays for the accommodation and provides them with basic services.7 Moreover, their average salary “range[s] between $1,000 and $1,500, which is deposited into their Turkish bank accounts,” all of which allows them not to have to worry about providing for their families back at home and makes the migration process very smooth.8
This is a far cry from the conditions of their Central Asian counterparts who “often live in cramped apartments and dorms… with up to 10 [roommates]” and earn around $600 a month.9 It is truly staggering the discrepancy present among two groups of migrants: one who used to be an enemy and the other who were once proud citizens of the Soviet Union.
With all of this in mind, it is tough to lay out a plan of action or recommend a solution. Turkish migration plays an integral part in the Russian Federation’s economy, just as much as Central Asians but the former is welcomed with opened arms. Another layer that only muddies this phenomenon is that Turks and Central Asians are descended from the same groups, but one has white features while the others have Asiatic features, which could add a racial element to this. Regardless, experiences of Anatolian Turks in the Russian Federation are interesting to expand upon because we tend to only identify them with their migration to Western Europe. I hope that as countries, like Russia, begin to reopen and improve their economies that their officials will embrace migrants from Turkey or Central Asia as welcomed and much needed parts of their societies.
1Abadan-Unat, N. (2011). Turks in Europe: From Guest Worker to Transnational Citizen (C. Campion, Trans.). New York: Berghahn Books, 48.
2Ryazantsev, S. V. (2009). Turkish Communities in the Russian Federation. International Journal OnMulticultural Societies, 11(2), 155-173. Retrieved October 04, 2020, from https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000188648, 159-160.
3Ryazantsev, S. V. (2009). Turkish Communities in the Russian Federation. International Journal OnMulticultural Societies, 11(2), 155-173. Retrieved October 04, 2020, from https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000188648, 162.
4Nechepurenko, I., & Ponomarev, S. (2020, June 15). For Migrants in Russia, Virus Means No Money to Live and No Way to Leave. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/15/world/europe/russia-coronavirus-migrant-workers.html
5Kaliyev, A. (2018, July 03). Central Asian migrants describe injustice, racism in Russia. Retrieved October 04, 2020, from https://central.asia-news.com/en_GB/articles/cnmi_ca/features/2018/07/03/feature-01
6Caravanserai. (2017, November 06). Migration key commonality among Central Asia’s terror attackers. Retrieved October 04, 2020, from https://central.asia-news.com/en_GB/articles/cnmi_ca/features/2017/11/06/feature-02
72Ryazantsev, S. V. (2009). Turkish Communities in the Russian Federation. International Journal OnMulticultural Societies, 11(2), 155-173. Retrieved October 04, 2020, from https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000188648, 163.
81Abadan-Unat, N. (2011). Turks in Europe: From Guest Worker to Transnational Citizen (C. Campion, Trans.). New York: Berghahn Books, 49.
9 Nechepurenko, I., & Ponomarev, S. (2020, June 15). For Migrants in Russia, Virus Means No Money to Live and No Way to Leave. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/15/world/europe/russia-coronavirus-migrant-workers.html
I like that you examined a specific instance of migration that we only briefly discussed and that you compared it with Central Asian migration to Russia. A very interesting read. I was expecting Turkish migrants to be more discriminated against because they are less likely to speak the language and Central Asians often have the (seemingly should be) advantage of having had been a part of the Soviet Union. You mention that part of the worse treatment of Central Asians could be due to their ethnic features relative to those of Turkish migrant’s features. Do you think that the fact that Turkish migrants travel with their contracted companies also may have something to do with it?
A big difference seems to be that Central Asians go to Russia to find work, while these Turkish migrants seem to be going to Russia for a job in a company that employs Turks. They don’t have to hunt for work, and they don’t have to try to locate cheap housing. So in spite of the fact that many may look just like Azerbaijanis (and “persons from the Caucasus” are also singled out in Russia for harassment), they may not be interacting in Russian society in ways that put them in positions of having to make requests and negotiate police and bureaucracy.
You found great sources!