Apart from labor migration, the CIS countries play an extremely small role in the life of the neighboring state. In Russia's foreign trade, the share of the near abroad countries is 15%, and the share of CIS investments in the Russian economy is a few percent of the total volume of foreign investment. In politics, the former Soviet republics, according to Ruslan Grinberg, director of the Institute of Economics of the Russian Academy of Sciences, adhere to the principle of "maximum economic benefits with a minimum of political obligations." Moreover, it is primarily the leaders of states with authoritarian regimes who are drawn to Russia, as they face pressure from the West, which accuses them of human rights violations. The report presented at a conference organized by the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation, the International Union of Economists, and the Politika Foundation, states that "their leaders see Russia as a means of strengthening their positions of power and therefore are not reliable allies of Russia." According to Ruslan Grinberg, this applies primarily to Belarus and Turkmenistan.
At the same time, the flow of guest workers to Russia is constantly growing. Last year, the country officially had 390,000 workers from CIS countries, three times more than in 1994. Experts at the Institute of Economics of the Russian Academy of Sciences estimate the number of illegal migrants at 3.5-4 million people. The money they take out of Russia amounts to up to a third of GDP in some countries.
In some regions, migrants have a very strong influence on the labor market. For example, in Moscow, half a million foreign workers are employed in trade and services. According to scientists, half of these jobs could have been filled by Muscovites, but they went to foreigners who agreed to lower wages and took advantage of employers' offers published in specialized publications or through intermediary structures. According to the Center for the Study of Social Problems of the Institute of Economics of the Russian Academy of Sciences, two-thirds of Muscovites have a negative attitude toward guest workers, and only 9% of city residents welcome their appearance. To ease the situation, scientists recommend establishing regional quotas for attracting migrants.
However, Russia cannot do without newcomers. In 2006, the country's natural population decline is projected at 1 million people. According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, 26 million Russians live abroad, including 17 million in CIS countries. Vyacheslav Nikonov, chairman of the Politika Foundation, says Russia is in a much better position than Europe, where the population is also shrinking. But "people come to us who know the Russian language and studied in Soviet schools," while European countries are forced to accept migrants who "do not know the language, do not intend to learn it, and moreover grew up in a different religious culture."
And Mikhail Delyagin, scientific director of the Institute of Globalization Problems, proposes giving Russian citizenship to everyone who passes an exam in Russian language proficiency. He also demands an end to the official fight against xenophobia, because "its propaganda is being carried out under the guise of fighting it."