Media Coverage of Labor Migrants in Russia during the COVID-19 Pandemic

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.

Acknowledgments

Thank you to Jennifer Jackman and Evea Raye for their constructive feedback and valuable comments.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. Bauomy, Jasmin. 2020. Covid-19 and Xenophobia: Why Outbreaks Are Often Accompanied by Racism. Euronews. June 3. https://www.euronews.com/2020/03/05/covid-19-and-xenophobia-why-outbreaks-are-often-accompanied-by-racism. Human Rights Watch. 2020. “Covid-19 Fueling Anti-Asian Racism and Xenophobia Worldwide.” May 12. www.hrw.org/news/2020/05/12/covid-19-fueling-anti-asian-racism-and-xenophobia-worldwide. Paun, Carmen. 2020. “Populists Seize on Coronavirus to Stoke Immigration Fear. The spread of the outbreak is prompting calls to close Europe’s borders.” February 18. Politico. www.politico.eu/article/populists-cite-coronavirus-outbreak-to-advance-anti-immigration-agenda/. Shah, Sonia. 2020. The Pandemic of Xenophobia and Scapegoating. Time Magazine. March 7. https://time.com/5776279/pandemic-xenophobia-scapegoating/.

2. Aruuke Uran Kyzy. 2020. “Coronavirus exposes Central Asian migrants’ vulnerability.” The Diplomat. April 10. https://thediplomat.com/2020/04/coronavirus-exposes-central-asian-migrants-vulnerability

3. UN News. 2020. “Millions of migrants across Russia, Central Asia, ‘teetering on the brink,’ as UN Launches Urgent Appeal.” United Nations. May 15. https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/05/1064182. Kabar. 2020. “MOM zaprosila $7 mln. dlia pomoshchi migrantam Tsentral’noi Azii” (IOM requests $7 million to help Central Asian migrants). May 16. http://kabar.kg/news/mom-zaprosila-7-mln-dlia-pomoshchi-migrantam-tcentral-noi-azii/

4. France 24. “Sealed borders leave migrants stranded in Moscow’s airports.” March 25. https://www.france24.com/en/20200325-sealed-borders-leave-migrants-stranded-in-moscow-s-airports

5. Nechepurenko, Ivan. 2020. “For migrants in Russia, virus means no money to live and no way to leave.” The New York Times. June 15. www.nytimes.com/2020/06/15/world/europe/russia-coronavirus-migrant-workers.html

6. Najibullah, Farangis. 2020. “Stranded in Russia with no money, desperate Central Asian migrants face tough choices.” Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty. May 17. www.rferl.org/a/centra-asian-migrants-stranded-russia-covid-no-money-desperate/30616792.html

7. Orunbekov, Bakyt. 2020. “V Kyrgyzstan vozvrashchaiutsia trudovye migranty. Smogut vlasti obespechit’ ikh rabotoi?” (In Kyrgyzstan labor migrants are coming back. Can the government provide them with jobs?). Radio Azattyk. May 21. https://rus.azattyk.org/a/30625272.html

8. Nurmatov, Ernist. 2020. “Migranty massovo vozvrashchaiutsia v Kyrgyzstan. Ozhidaetsia rost bezrabotitsy” (Migrants are returning home en masse to Kyrgyzstan. Unemployment is expected to rise.) Radio Azattyk. April 23. https://rus.azattyk.org/a/30571881.html

9. See for example: Tass News Agency. 2020. “V Bashkirii obnaruzhili ochag koronavirusa sredi trudovykh migrantov iz Uzbekistana” (Coronavirus found in Bashkiri among labor migrants from Uzbekistan). May 21. https://tass.ru/obschestvo/8531275

10. Ivashchenko, Ekaterina. 2020. “Russia’s labor migrants are caught between poverty and a pandemic.” Open Democracy. May 7. www.opendemocracy.net/en/odr/russia-labor-migrants-covid19

11. Lazat, Zhanybek. 2020. “Ne ot khoroshei zhizni.’ Pochemu migranty v Moskve skryvaiut zabolevanie COVID-19” (Not from a good life: Why migrants in Russia who have Covid-19 are hiding their disease). Radio Azattyk. May 4. https://rus.azattyk.org/a/30591613.html

12. Support from their consulates in Russia was generally insufficient. See: Aibike, Adilet. 2020. “Otsutstvie deneg, bolezni i popytka nakopit’ na bilet. Istorii migrantov, kotoryye ne mogut vernut’sia na rodinu iz-za karantina” (Lack of money, diseases, and attempts to save for air ticket. Stories of migrants who are unable to return to their homeland because of the lockdown). Kloop. May 10. https://kloop.kg/blog/2020/05/10/otsutstvie-deneg-bolezni-i-popytka-nakopit-na-bilet-istorii-migrantov-kotorye-ne-mogut-vernutsya-na-rodinu-iz-za-karantina/

13. “MVD Rossii podgotovilo zakonoproekt o deportatsii migrantov ‘s opasnymi bolezniami” (The Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs has prepared a bill about the deportation of migrants with risky diseases). Nastoiashee Vremia. www.currenttime.tv/a/mvd-zakonoproekt-deportatsia-koronavirus/30418297.html

14. Ivaschenko, Ekaterina. 2020 “Vyzdorovlenie cherez sud. V Rossii sdelali test na COVID-19 obiazatel’nym dlia polucheniia inostrantsami patenta” (Recovering through court: In Russia, the Covid-19 test for migrants is now obligatory for obtaining a work permit). Fergana News Agency. July 1. https://fergana.site/articles/119669/

15. Nechepurenko, Ivan. 2020. “For migrants in Russia, virus means no money to live and no way to leave.” The New York Times. www.nytimes.com/2020/06/15/world/europe/russia-coronavirus-migrant-workers.html?searchResultPosition=4

16. Petrov, Ivan. 2020. “Rozhdennaia izoliatsiei: migranty probuiut sily v narkotorgovle” (Born out of isolation: Migrants are trying their hand at drug trafficking). Izvestia. April 13. https://iz.ru/998365/ivan-petrov/rozhdennaia-izoliatciei-migranty-probuiut-sily-v-narkotorgovle

17. See, for example, Vladimir Sharapov and Vladimir Sedov, “Migranty grabiat tekh, na kogo rabotaiut” (Migrants are robbing those for whom they work). Lenta.ru. April 29, 2020. https://lenta.ru/articles/2020/04/29/generals/

18. Petrov, Egor. 2020. “Vypasaut zhertv u giperov na karsheringakh” (Looking for victims at supermarket in shared car). Fergana News Agency. May 1. https://fergana.news/articles/117596/

19. Migration Data Portal. https://migrationdataportal.org/data?cm49=643&focus=profile&i=stock_abs_&t=2019

20. Migrants from countries belonging to the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) are subjected to somewhat less cumbersome registration requirements but still vulnerable to police abuse and risks of expulsion.

21. Kabar. 2020. “Bezrabotitsa, bezdenezh’e, golod: Chto izmenilos’ dlia tadzhikskikh migrantov v sviazi so vspyshkoi koronavirusa v RFIu” (Unemployed, broke, hungry: What has changed for Tajik migrants in Russia with the outbreak of coronavirus?). April 9. http://kabar.kg/news/bezrabotitca-bezdenezh-e-golod-chto-izmenilos-dlia-tadzhikskikh-migrantov-v-sviazi-so-vspyshkoi-koronavirusa-v-rf/

22. Ivashchenko, Ekaterina. 2020. “Russia’s labor migrants are caught between poverty and a pandemic.” Open Democracy. May 7. www.opendemocracy.net/en/odr/russia-labor-migrants-covid19. Human Rights Watch. 2020. “Russia: As Pandemic Grows, Migration Detention Deadlock.” https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/04/16/russia-pandemic-grows-migration-detention-deadlock

23. Aitkhozhina, Damelia. 2020. “Russia’s latest app will track migrant workers – but who’s next?” Human Rights Watch. June 9. www.hrw.org/news/2020/06/09/russias-latest-app-will-track-migrant-workers-whos-next

24. Levada Center (2019). “Monitoring ksenofobskikh nastroenii” (Monitoring of xenophobic sentiments). September 18. www.levada.ru/2019/09/18/monitoring-ksenofobskih-nastroenij-2/

25. Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty. 2018. “New poll suggests xenophobia on the rise among Russians.” August 28. www.rferl.org/a/russia-xenophobia-poll-on-the-rise/29457742.html

26. Moscow 24. 2020. “Zhirinovskii predlozhil ogranichit’ v”yezd migrantov v RF posle pandemii” (Zhirinovskii proposed to restrict the reentry of migrants into the Russian Federation after the pandemic). May 24. https://www.m24.ru/news/obshchestvo/24052020/118947

27. By law, migrants are allowed to receive emergency treatment at a hospital for up to three days. But not all migrants are aware of their rights and staff at public hospitals do not always respect them either (Kashnitsky and Demintseva 2017).

28. Rocheva, Anna. 2017. “Scaling back on healthcare may start with Russia’s migrants. But it won’t end there.” Open Democracy. www.opendemocracy.net/en/odr/keeping-welfare-russian/

29. Reporters Without Borders. “2020 World Press Freedom Index.” https://rsf.org/en/ranking. In fact, early evidence suggests that the Russian government has used the pandemic as an excuse to crack down further on press freedom and journalists. The pandemic has also made the work of journalists more perilous worldwide and certain topics might be underreported as a result.

30. The Russian media also routinely produce segments on European migration, denouncing multiculturalism as a failure (Permyakova and Antineskul 2018).

31. Sturm, Iana. 2020. “Svist i kriki: kto ustroil besporiadki vozle ‘Fud-Siti.’” (Whistling and shouting: who started rioting near Food City?). Gazeta.ru. May 15. www.gazeta.ru/social/2020/05/15/13084711.shtml

32. Safovov, Aleksandr, 2020. “Stanet li iz-za krizisa men’she migrantov?” (Will there be fewer migrants due to the crisis?) Argumenty i Fakty. April 22. https://aif.ru/money/opinion/stanet_li_iz-za_krizisa_menshe_migrantov

33. Petrov Ivan. 2020. “V rezhime ‘otzhimaniia’: kak budut vyzhivat’ nelegaly i marginaly” (In push-up modes: How are marginals and illegal immigrants are going to survive). Izvestia. April 6. https://iz.ru/995501/ivan-petrov/v-rezhime-otzhimaniia-kak-budut-vyzhivat-nelegaly-i-marginaly

34. Petrov, Ivan. 2020. “Rozhdennaia izoliatsiei: migranty probuiut sily v narkotorgovle” (Born out of isolation: Migrants are trying their hands at drug trafficking). Izvestia. April 13. https://iz.ru/998365/ivan-petrov/rozhdennaia-izoliatciei-migranty-probuiut-sily-v-narkotorgovle

35. Egorov, Ivan. 2020. “Kto sidit v Darknete” (Who Sits in the Darknet). Rossiiskaia Gazeta. May 20. https://rg.ru/2020/05/20/grebenkin-pandemiia-covid-19-stala-signalom-dlia-aktivizacii-moshennikov.html

36. Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs. 2020. “Kriminogennaia situatsiia v Rossiiskoi Federatsii ostaietsia stabil’noi” (The crime situation in the Russian Federation remains stable). May 14. https://mvdmedia.ru/news/official/kriminogennaya-situatsiya-v-rossiyskoy-federatsii-ostaetsya-stabilnoy/; Kommersant. 2020. “MVD zaiavilo o rezkom snizhenii prestuplenii migrantov” (Ministry of Internal Affairs announced a sharp decline in crime among migrants). June 13. www.kommersant.ru/doc/4378294

37. Serenko, Andrey. 2020. “COVID dzhikhadu ne pomekha” (COVID is not hindering Jihad). Kommersant. May 18. www.kommersant.ru/doc/4341813

38. Karmazin, Igor. 2020. “Trudnosti perevodov: vyzhivet li Tsentral’naia Aziia bez deneg migrantov?” (Problems with money transfer: Will Central Asia survive without migrant transfers?). Izvestia. June 17. https://iz.ru/1024346/igor-karmazin/trudnosti-perevodov-vyzhivet-li-tcentralnaia-aziia-bez-deneg-migrantov

39. Sargsian, Lilit. 2020. “Malo li chto vash Putin govoril” (Who cares what your Putin said). Novaia Gazeta. May 24. https://novayagazeta.ru/articles/2020/05/21/85472-malo-li-chto-vash-putin-govoril

40. Kostiuchenko, Elena. 2020. “Zhizn’ na pauze” (Life on pause). Novaia Gazeta. March 26. https://novayagazeta.ru/articles/2020/03/26/84527-zhizn-na-pauze

41. Krivosheev, Kirill. 2020. “ Koronavirus zaper migrantov v Rossii” (Coronavirus has locked migrants in Russia). Kommersant. March 17. www.kommersant.ru/doc/4291874

42. Priemskaia, Evgeniia. 2020. “Igra na vylet: chto proiskhodit s inostrantsami, ostavshimisia v rossiiskikh aeroportakh” (The departure game: What happens with foreigners remaining at Russian airports). Izvestia. March 31. https://iz.ru/993349/evgeniia-priemskaia/igra-na-vylet-chto-proiskhodit-s-inostrantcami-ostavshimisia-v-rossiiskikh-aeroportakh

43. Chepovskaia, Anastasia. 2020. “Pryimo po koridoru: iz-za zakrytiia granits tysiachi migrantov ne mogut pokinut’ Rossiiu” (Straight down the corridor: Due to closed borders, thousands of migrants are unable to leave Russia). Izvestia. May 19. https://iz.ru/1012554/anastasiia-chepovskaia/priamo-po-koridoru-iz-za-zakrytiia-granitc-tysiachi-migrantov-ne-mogut-pokinut-rossiiu

44. Gorelykh, Valerii. 2020. “V spetspriemnike v Kol’tsovo migranty ustroili debosh, ugrozhaia golodovkoi” (In the special detention center in Koltsovo, migrants staged a riot, threatening a hunger strike). Kommersant. April 27. www.kommersant.ru/doc/4332991. See also: Petrov, Ivan, and Valeria Nodelman. 2020. “Mersi, Baku: iz-za chego azerbaidzhantsy ustroili bunt v Dagestane” (Merci, Baku: Why Azerbaijanis staged a riot in Dagestan) Izvestia. June 17. https://iz.ru/1024348/ivan-petrov-valeriia-nodelman/mersi-baku-iz-za-chego-azerbaidzhantcy-ustroili-bunt-v-dagestane

45. Kommersant. “Pravozashchitniki potrebovali osvobodit’ migrantov, kotorykh ne mogut vydvorit’ iz-za koronavirusa” (Human rights activists demanded the release of migrants who could not be expelled due to the coronavirus). March 29. www.kommersant.ru/doc/4308018

46. Sargsian, Lilit, and Artem Raspopov. 2020. “Запертые в Москве” (Locked in Moscow). Novaia Gazeta. April 15. https://novayagazeta.ru/articles/2020/04/15/84910-zapertye-v-moskve

47. Savankova, Natalia, 2020. “Varimsia v odnom kazane Obshchestvenniki pomogaiut postradavshim ot koronavirusa, no sami ostalis’ bez podderzhki” (We are boiling in one cauldron: social activists help victims of coronavirus, but have found themselves without support). Rossiiskaia Gazeta. April 21. https://rg.ru/2020/04/21/reg-pfo/v-penze-obshchestvennye-organizacii-v-borbe-s-koronavirusom-ostalis-bez-podderzhki.html. Aleinikova, Inna. 2020. “Iskusstvo vyzhivaniia. Kak perezhivaiut epidemiiu natsional’nye diaspory stolitsy” (The art of survival: How national diasporas in the capital are experiencing the epidemic). Argumenty i Fakty. April 22. https://aif.ru/moscow/iskusstvo_vyzhivaniya_kak_perezhivayut_epidemiyu_nacionalnye_diaspory_stolicy. Rogoza, Alexander. 2020. “Starshii nauchnyi sotrudnik RANKhiGS Evgenii Varshaver: ‘Migranty zhivut po 5–6 chelovek v komnate. Kakoi tut rezhim samoizoliatsii?’” (Senior researcher at the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration, Evgeny Varshaver: Migrants live 5 to 6 persons in one room. What is the self-isolation regime there?). Komsomolskaia Pravda. April 21. www.msk.kp.ru/daily/27120/4202264/

48. Argumenty i Fakty. “V Sovfede iskliuchili vyplaty posobiy nekvalifitsirovannym migrantam” (The Federation Council rejected the idea of paying benefits to unskilled migrants). April 20. https://aif.ru/society/v_sovfede_isklyuchili_vyplaty_posobiy_nekvalificirovannym_migrantam

49. Protsenko, Liubov. 2020. “Marat Khusnullin: Stroiki s migrantami ne nuzhno ostanavlivat’” (Marat Khusnullin: Construction projects employing migrants do not have to be stopped). Rossiiskaia Gazeta. April 3. https://rg.ru/2020/04/03/marat-husnullin-strojki-s-migrantami-ne-nuzhno-ostanavlivat.html

50. Rogoza, Aleksandr. 2020. “Starshiyinauchnyi sotrudnik RANKhiGS Evgenii Varshaver: ‘Migranty zhivut po 5–6 chelovek v komnate. Kakoy tut rezhim samoizoliatsii?’” (Senior researcher at the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration, Evgeny Varshaver: Migrants live 5 to 6 persons in one room. What is the self-isolation regime there?). Komsomolskaia Pravda. April 21. www.msk.kp.ru/daily/27120/4202264/

51. Iusin, Maksim. 2020. “‘Ikh bolezni stanoviatsia nashimi bolezniami’. Maksim Iusin – o probleme migrantov v usloviiakh Epidemii” (Their diseases become our diseases. Maksim Iusin on the problem of migrants in light of the pandemic). Kommersant. April 28. www.kommersant.ru/doc/4333406

52. Samoilova, Irina and Vlada Shipilova. 2020. “V Maloiaze proizoshla vspyshka COVID-19 sredi rabochikh iz Uzbekistana” (Moloyaz has an outbreak of Covid-19 among workers from Uzbekistan). Kommersant. May 21. /www.kommersant.ru/doc/4350371. Chereneva, Vera. 2020. “V Lenoblasti chislo zabolevshikh COVID-19 v khostele vyroslo do 123” (In the Leningrad region, the number of Covid-19 cases has increased to 123). Rossiyskaia Gazeta. April 15. https://rg.ru/2020/04/15/reg-szfo/v-lenoblasti-chislo-zabolevshih-covid-19-v-hostele-vyroslo-do-123.html

53. Kolbasin, Vitaly. 2020. “Kto porabotal – tot poest. Kak v usloviiakh karantina vyzhivaiut migranty” (Whoever has worked will eat. How migrants are surviving during the quarantine). Argumenty i Fakty. April 29. https://aif.ru/society/people/kto_porabotal_-_tot_poest_kak_v_usloviyah_karantina_vyzhivayut_migranty

54. Chernenko Elena and Kirill Krivosheev. 2020. “Strany nepuganykh patsientov Kak Tadzhikistan i Turkmeniia okazalis’ svobodnymi ot COVID-19” (Countries of unafraid patients. How Tajikistan and Turkmenistan ended up free of Covid-19). Kommersant. April 22. www.kommersant.ru/doc/4327770

55. Examples: Sargsian, Lilit, and Artem Raspopov. 2020. “Zapertye v Moskve” (Locked in Moscow). Novaia Gazeta. April 15. https://novayagazeta.ru/articles/2020/04/15/84910-zapertye-v-moskve. Gazeta.ru. “Test na chelovechnost’. Yelizaveta Aleksandrova-Zorina o tom, kak vyzhit’ v pandemii bezdomnym i migrantam” (Humanity test: Elizaveta Alexandrova Zorina on how the homeless and migrants are surviving during the pandemic). April 30. www.gazeta.ru/column/aleksandrova-zorina/13049443.shtml Kolbasin, Vitaly. 2020. “Kto porabotal – tot poest. Kak v usloviiakh karantina vyzhivaiut migranty” (Whoever has worked will eat. How migrants are surviving during the quarantine). Argumenty i Fakty. April 29. https://aif.ru/society/people/kto_porabotal_-_tot_poest_kak_v_usloviyah_karantina_vyzhivayut_migranty Trushin, Alexander. 2020. “Zona nevyleta: Chto proiskhodit s migrantami v usloviiakh pandemii” (No departure zone: what happens to migrants in light of the pandemic). Kommersant. April 20. www.kommersant.ru/doc/4321113

56. Gazeta.ru. 2020. “Test na chelovechnost’. Elizaveta Aleksandrova-Zorina o tom, kak vyzhit’ v pandemii bezdomnym i migrantam” (Humanity test: Elizaveta Alexandrova Zorina on how the homeless and migrants are surviving during the pandemic). April 30. www.gazeta.ru/column/aleksandrova-zorina/13049443.shtml. Alexander Rassokhin. 2020. “Migranty stali zalozhnikami koronavirusa” (Migrants have become hostages to the coronavirus). Kommersant. April 17. www.kommersant.ru/doc/4324021. Varshaver, Evgeni. 2020. “Rasskazy o tom, chto migranty poidut grabit’ nemigrantov iz-za karantina, – eto strashilka” (The stories about migrants robbing non-migrants due to the quarantine are [baseless] horror stories). Kommersant. April 3. www.kommersant.ru/doc/4312764

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by a Salem State University Scholarship Support Grant.