Experts cannot confirm the fact of a mass return of Russians from EU countries
Izvestia, citing Konstantin Kosachev, head of the Federation Council Committee on International Affairs, claims that one of the motives for the "returnees" was the "demonization of Russia, its citizens and compatriots living abroad." As confirmation, several stories of anonymous Russians who returned to their homeland from European countries are given.
On the other hand, back in the fall of last year, a report by the Committee of Civil Initiatives, "Emigration from Russia at the End of the 20th – Beginning of the 21st Century," appeared, according to which, since 2013, Russia has been leaving annually from 120 to 150 thousand people, who, however, are not always taken into account by official statistics, since many prefer not to deregister in the Russian Federation. Can we now talk about a reverse trend? If Russians have started moving back from Europe to their homeland, how massive is it and what is driving them?
Data from German statistics and the situation with Russians living in Germany were analyzed at the request of Radio Svoboda by Sergei Lagodinsky, director of the EU and US Department at the Heinrich Böll Foundation (Germany).
– What data is there on the dynamics of arrivals and departures of Russians from Germany – not tourists, but those who stay in the country for a long time, receive a residence permit?
– There is no data from the German migration service for 2016 yet. As always, statistics take some time. But for 2015, they are available. Here are two figures. The first is the number of people who left Germany in 2015 for permanent residence in Russia: there were 11,800. But these are not only Russians, but simply those who had permanent residence in Germany and moved to Russia for various reasons. The second figure is the number of people with a Russian passport who left Germany – but this means departure not only to Russia, but simply outside Germany. Where exactly – there is no such statistics. If we look at this figure, we will see that in 2015, 10,584 people with a Russian passport left Germany. I emphasize: these are people who have only a Russian passport, not dual citizenship.
– And how many Russians live permanently in Germany?
– People with only a Russian passport in Germany, according to estimates, about 230 thousand, while persons with dual citizenship, both Russian and German, in 2014 were about 570 thousand. That is why, regarding the figures mentioned in the articles we are talking about, it seems to me, we should not succumb to provocation. If it says about 30 thousand people who returned to Russia from European Union countries in general, then let's proceed from the number of Russians living in the European Union – that's about 720 thousand, according to various data. If we add those with dual citizenship, then only in Germany there are almost 600 thousand. That is, we already exceed one million three hundred thousand, even without taking into account persons with dual citizenship from other EU countries. Maybe 30 thousand of them did leave for Russia. We are not living in the world of the Cold War, when it was difficult to leave and even more difficult to return, but in a global world where people move back and forth.
– Speaking of back and forth: what can be said about the number of Russians who moved to Germany in the same 2015, since there is no more recent data?
– In 2015, 21,633 Russian citizens moved to Germany for permanent residence. So, in the end, the inflow was noticeably larger than the outflow. If we take 2016, here we have to rely not on statistical but on empirical facts that we simply see in Berlin and other large cities. There are simply a huge number of people who come to Germany with packed suitcases to work, to somehow build their lives here, because they feel not very comfortable in Russia at the moment. A big topic now in Germany, and in Europe in general, is refugees with Russian passports. The number of political refugees from Russia has increased, a separate big story is refugees from Chechnya, one of the largest groups of ethnic refugees arriving, for example, in Germany.
– The publication in Izvestia says that Russians have become worse off both in terms of atmosphere, that is, attitudes towards them, in particular in Germany, and in terms of purely economic opportunities. How true is this?
– In this article, there are words from Konstantin Kosachev, chairman of the Federation Council Committee on International Affairs. He somehow managed to understand that the "demonization of Russia and its citizens" is a motivator for leaving for the homeland. I don't quite understand what Mr. Kosachev based this on; he didn't give a single figure, no research is cited here. I cannot imagine how the "demonization of Russia" could prompt someone to move, to uproot themselves from life here.
I know many people here, we communicate, they are critical of the European approach to Russian policy, they sympathize with Russia, but – they sympathize with Russia while here. They are very comfortable here. They openly criticize the position of the European Union, Germany, Merkel, and so on, they vote (those who have German citizenship) for radical parties like the Alternative for Germany, one of whose main slogans is the lifting of anti-Russian sanctions. But I don't see any motivation for these people to leave. That is, these guesses of Mr. Kosachev, it seems to me, are being built into a certain campaign. Yesterday I saw three or four articles where some women, supposedly returned from Holland and Sweden, tell how bad they felt in the West. Many people feel bad, there are psychological problems, there are economic problems, of course, for many, but I don't see any trend here.
– Recently, there was a story in the Russian press about the German Martens family, which fled to Russia, having left it in the early 1990s, and settled in a Siberian village because they were dissatisfied with sex education lessons in German schools. They recently returned to Germany. Was this story discussed in Germany?
– It was discussed in Russian-speaking circles, but in German-speaking circles it caused little resonance – as always, one had to translate it, see who was even interested. Yes, there were a few articles on the topic. It was a story that was received here with some amusement. Although in principle, if these people really shuttled their children back and forth, there is nothing to smile about; it is a very sad story. There is this issue of sex education in schools, which many Russian-speaking parents, including their organizations, emphasize. Many German media look at it somewhat ironically.
Similarly, the statement by the chairman of the party Einheit ("Unity"), a Russian-speaking party that plays no role here except for organizing demonstrations against the alleged rape of the girl Lisa, was received with irony and surprise. The leader of this party once went to Crimea and said that half a million Russian-speaking Germans already have their bags packed and are planning to move to Crimea. But I see that the number of people from Russia, according to statistics, has not decreased in Germany; apparently, they have put their bags aside. Such "canards" and misunderstandings constantly surface.
As for those 30,000 who moved to Russia from Europe, maybe they did move, why not? But when you see what media hype is created around this topic, what motivation is put into the mouths of these supposedly returned people, you realize that this is another agitation and propaganda campaign, – says Sergei Lagodinsky, director of the EU and USA department at the Heinrich Böll Foundation (Germany).
One of the stories told by Izvestia concerned a Russian woman named Natalia, who decided to return to her homeland after 19 years in Prague. The reasons? "The level of Russophobia reached such an extent that in Prague there were vehicles with anti-Russian signs, and on the street you could get a reprimand for speaking Russian," Natalia claims. How typical are such complaints? Radio Svoboda's questions are answered by Magda Faltova, a Czech human rights activist, head of the NGO "Association for Integration and Migration," which deals with migrant rights.
– According to your data, has there been a noticeable trend among the Russian community in the Czech Republic to return to their homeland, to Russia?
– We have not noticed anything like that in our work, and official statistics do not reflect such trends either. I have no data that would indicate a sharp decrease in the number of Russian citizens permanently residing in the Czech Republic. (According to official data from the Czech Ministry of Interior at the end of last year, 36,000 Russian citizens were permanently residing in the country – the fourth largest community after Ukrainian, Slovak, and Vietnamese.) Of course, statistics always work with some delay, but our practice also does not indicate any major changes.
– Have you encountered complaints about an unbearable Russophobic atmosphere in the Czech Republic?
– I would not say that there is a rise in specifically anti-Russian sentiments. It is true, however, that the overall situation for foreigners in our country is becoming more problematic. But manifestations of verbal, and in very rare cases physical, aggression are mainly directed against people with a different skin color, as well as against Muslim women whose clothing indicates their religious affiliation. There are complaints from our clients that sometimes on a tram, when they speak in their own language, people address them – like, speak Czech since you are in our country. But these incidents are not frequent and concern not exclusively Russian, but various languages. I have not encountered complaints that someone felt like a victim of discrimination specifically because they are Russian or from Russia. Rather, simply because they are a foreigner.
– Is the general deterioration in the situation of foreigners related to the migration crisis in Europe?
– It is related, rather, to how Czech politicians use this topic and what reaction it provokes in society. Because there is no migration crisis in our country; there are very few migrants here. But there is a fear of the foreign and unknown.
– Do you think this trend will continue?
– I think so. We have elections in the fall, and issues of migration and security are one of the "hot" political topics, and they are used by representatives of various parties across the entire political spectrum.
– To return to the Russian or Russian-speaking community in the Czech Republic: what is its reputation here in the eyes of society and the authorities? Is it considered problematic or, on the contrary, well-integrated?
– As in the case of, for example, the large Ukrainian community, it is a kind of mixture. Those Russians who move here to work or study at universities are perceived as people with a fairly high potential for integration into our society and a desire for it. But there are, for example, groups of immigrants from the former USSR associated with the criminal world – they are viewed primarily by the authorities as a risk factor. Hence the frequent talk about the Russian-speaking mafia. Of course, the presence of Russian business here and political moments – for example, the well-known ties of our president with Russian ruling circles – also play a role in how Russians are perceived here. These are factors that strengthen negative attitudes towards Russia in part of society. But another part, on the contrary, supports these ties and sympathizes with them.
– In the European Union, there is currently a trend towards tightening migration policy. How noticeable is it in the Czech Republic?
– It is quite noticeable. Currently, our parliament is reviewing a draft of a new law on the stay of foreigners, stricter than the current one. It provides for greater regulation, some new obligations for foreigners permanently residing here, or the complication of certain procedures. For example, currently a foreigner who came to the Czech Republic for the purpose of employment can change the motive of their stay to entrepreneurship after two years. In the new bill, this period is increased to five years. This seems inadequate to us. Or, say, the abolition of independent judicial review in case of refusal by the authorities to extend a foreigner's residence permit is proposed – currently this is one of three instances provided for in this process, – says the head of the Association for Integration and Migration (Czech Republic) Magda Faltova.