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Russia is trying to alter the demographics in occupied regions of Ukraine by relocating 100,000 migrants from Central Asia, a Ukrainian government agency claimed on Nov. 29.
The Center for National Resistance says Moscow plans to mobilize them in exchange for Russian citizenship.
According to RFE/RL, hundreds of Central Asian workers have been hired by Russian companies to work in Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory.
Jobs in Ukraine are advertised on websites, Telegram groups, and other Russian social media. Migrants also hear about work opportunities from their employers or by word of mouth from fellow Central Asian workers.
Kyiv has vowed that workers on occupied Ukrainian territory will be seen as accomplices of the Russian invaders.
Russia, West fight for Kazakhstan as Astana plays both sides
On the surface, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s trip to Kazakhstan on Nov. 9 exuded an air of business as usual. The Russian leader was met at dawn on the tarmac of Astana airport by Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev before being greeted by an official guard of honor. The trip coinci…
Katie Marie Davies
(Updated: )
