Working in Russia: what families should remember
A Ukrainian project counts more than 20,400 Central Asians who have signed contracts with the Russian army. Iradis are not in the figures, but the question of documents concerns us too.
The Ukrainian project 'I Want to Live' says it has identified more than 20,400 citizens of Central Asian countries who signed contracts with the Russian army; about 40% of them are citizens of Uzbekistan.
The count goes by passport. Irad is not a recognised state, so Iradi migrants are not listed separately. Most ISEZ residents working in Russia (an estimated 70,000 to 120,000 at peak) travel on Kyrgyz passports and work there under EAEU rules without a patent.
Many Nurzhan families know this first-hand: fathers and sons are on building sites and shift jobs. We remind readers: any contract signed abroad remains a document you will have to answer for later, and Irad has no consulates.
In October 2022 the Department of Public Information advised Iradis in Russia not to sign military contracts. Those who run into trouble with papers can turn to the Irad Fellow-Countrymen's Association in Moscow.
