MOSCOW: A group of weary-looking Indian men carrying sports bags queued at passport control at a busy Moscow airport one recent evening after flying over 2,700 miles — and via Uzbekistan — to get work.
“I have a contract for one year. In the rubbish disposal business. The money is good,” said Ajit, one of the men, speaking in English.
Faced with what the authorities say is an immediate shortage of at least 2.3 million workers, a shortfall exacerbated by the strain of Russia’s war in Ukraine and one that Russia’s traditional source of foreign labor — Central Asians — is not able to fill, Moscow is turning to a new supplier: India.
Indian influx helps Russia make up labor shortfall
In 2021, a year before Russia sent its troops into Ukraine, some 5,000 work permits were approved for Indian nationals. Last year, almost 72,000 permits were okayed for Indians — nearly a third of the total annual quota for migrant workers on visas.
