Not Quite “Russian Diaspora”: Plural Solidarities and Stratified Economies of New Russian Migrants

Abstract

This article examines the post–February 2022 wave of Russian migration to Armenia, Israel, Kazakhstan, Serbia, and Turkey—countries that became primary destinations due to their visa-free regimes, geographic proximity, and relatively low institutional barriers to entry. Drawing on 74 semistructured interviews conducted in 2023 with Russian migrants and using the framework of transnational mixed embeddedness, authors analyze how fragmented forms of solidarity—based on professional identity, ethnic belonging, and political orientation—shape migrants’ economic strategies and the formation of new migrant communities.

The analysis demonstrates that access to migrant communities’ networks and their economic resources is structured by these solidarities and collective identities. Communities organized around shared professional backgrounds, ethnic affiliations, or experiences of politically induced displacement tend to develop distinct social and economic infrastructures, which provide privileged access to employment opportunities, business initiatives, and mutual support systems. At the same time, they establish boundaries that limit participation for others. While these fragmented solidarities enable adaptive economic strategies and transnational networks, they also reproduce internal differentiation, shaping who is included—and who is excluded—from new economic opportunities.

Article in English