The Russian Orthodox Church and the Federal Migration Service have joined forces to teach migrants Russian language and culture in what could be an attempt by religious leaders to attract more believers and financing from the state, an analyst said.
Migrants are invited to take free lessons in Russian language, culture, history and the basics of migration laws provided by a joint project, Maxim Parshin, head of the joint commission of the church and the migration service, told a news conference in Moscow on Monday, connected through video links to similar events in St. Petersburg, Kazan and Tomsk….
A federal law that came into force in December institutes a requirement for migrants to pass a Russian language test to get a job in the communal services and retail sectors.
Last year, then-President Dmitry Medvedev ordered a tender to provide state financing to NGOs that take part in developing civil society institutions, and the joint project of migration and church officials emerged a winner, receiving partial support through a presidential grant.
About 10.5 million foreigners currently live in Russia, most of them natives of Central Asia, Anatoly Fomenko, deputy head of the Federal Migration Service, told at a news conference.
According to official data, there are around 3.5 million illegal migrants in Russia. Young migrants often aren’t well-versed in Russian language, laws or culture. “All of this, unfortunately, leads to certain negative consequences linked to the violation of the rights of migrants themselves, the criminalization of the migrant sphere, the formation of a shadow labor market, the appearance of xenophobia and interethnic conflicts,” Fomenko said.
Source: The St. Petersburg Times