RUSSIA'S ROLE AS THE PRIMARY MIGRATION HUB IN THE POST-SOVIET SPACE; MIGRATION TIES WITH SOUTH CAUCASUS COUNTRIES

The article discusses the role of Russia as a migration center in the post-Soviet space and its migration relations with the South Caucasus countries.It was also emphasized that after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Russian Federation remained the main migration country for the South Caucasus countries, especially in terms of labor migration, and an analysis of statistical data was conducted.It should be noted that Russia's transformation into a major attractive center for foreign workers from post-Soviet countries has been directly linked to historical, socio-cultural, and economic reasons.However, recently, due to the tightening of migration legislation in Russia, the situation of migrants arriving from the South Caucasus has become significantly more difficult.Particularly after the amendments that entered into force on January 1, 2025, the permitted period of stay for foreign citizens on Russian territory was shortened, and all these changes also applied to citizens of Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Armenia arriving in Russia on a visa-free basis.The article also notes that starting from 2022, due to the Russia-Ukraine war, the migration of citizens out of Russia to other countries began, and this process has taken on a continuous character.