Ruget, V., & Usmanalieva, B. (2021, December). Migration and soft power: How Kyrgyz labor migrants view Russia. Communist and Post-Communist Studies. 54(4), 98–116. https://doi.org/10.1525/j.postcomstud.2021.54.4.98
Abstract
This article explores how Kyrgyz labor migrants in Russia view their host country’s government and its influence in Kyrgyzstan, including through the Eurasian Economic Union. Results suggest that migrants have nuanced, pragmatic pro-Russian views. They understand Kyrgyzstan’s dependency on Russia and admire the efficiency of Russia’s government. Yet, they also disapprove of its high levels of corruption and of its disregard for individual rights. Our work contributes to the literature on the diffusion of norms through migration; it also sheds light on Russia’s soft power in Central Asia at a time when rivalry with China is growing in the region.
Ruget, V. (2021, July 7). Media coverage of labor migrants in Russia during the Covid-19 pandemic. Problems of Post-Communism, 69(1), 48-57. https://doi.org/10.1080/10758216.2021.1940207
Abstract
This study explores media coverage of migration in Russia during the first few months of the COVID-19 pandemic. We analyzed and coded articles published in six mainstream Russian newspapers and on one popular news site between March 1 and June 30 of 2020. Our results confirm key findings of the literature on media and migrants in Russia over the last decade, including the frequent portrayal of migrants as a security threat, a focus on legality and illegality, and the absence of a migrant voice. However, contrary to our expectations, not all sources significantly covered the topic of COVID-19 infections among migrants. Overall, our paper contributes to a growing literature examining the securitization of migrants in non-Western contexts and initiates a discussion of how a pandemic might exacerbate this phenomenon.