INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Aijamal Atakeldiyeva grew up in the Russian Urals city of Perm with only a passing knowledge of the Central Asian country of Kyrgyzstan,
economic problems have created difficulties for the estimated 2.5 million Central Asia nationals who live and work in Russia, and many of
like Tajikistan are exposed to the knock-on effects of the war as they heavily rely on construction, retail, fast food and delivery workers
While some of these men are naturalized Russian citizens, others were said to have volunteered as contractors in exchange for expedited
Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.The Kremlin-backed Federation of Migrants of Russia says labor migrants are not fleeing Russia en masse, despite
the volatility of the Russian ruble and labor market as well as the waning appeal of a Russian passport.Kyrgyz officials have also said they
half of Kyrgyz labor migrants in Moscow told a union survey in March that they were considering going home
Nearly all of them reported feeling the effects of economic difficulties on their day-to-day lives.Uzenova, the banker, said a social media
support group for Kyrgyz emigres in St
returnees, rising flight prices have meant plans to go home have been put on hold
Kyrgyz travel agents said last month that demand for Moscow-Bishkek and St
Petersburg-Bishkek flights had risen fivefold since President Vladimir Putin ordered troops into Ukraine.As labor migrants began returning
to Central Asia, tens of thousands of Russians decided to flee their country over fears of political persecution, rumored border closures,
have recorded upticks in numbers of Russians crossing their borders since the beginning of the invasion
in the same period last year.Asked about Russians flocking to Kyrgyzstan to escape the war, all three Kyrgyz returnees interviewed by The
