Specifics of Migration from Russia to Europe in the Course of Crisis: The Flight of the Creative Class

Russian emigration has its own specifics related to the fact that for the general population a “crisis” is a part of a purely European phenomenon. The poorest part of the society is sure that Europe (European values related to human rights, market economy and liberal democracy) is failing, and this is manifested by the “crisis”. So for traditionally the most vulnerable and marginalized populations, migration seems pointless.However, the statistical analysis suggests that migration to Europe from Russia is well gathered after the presidential election. It is specifically predominant amongst the middle class. Russian migrants in Europe tend to already have higher education, higher-paying jobs, own their own homes and are used to quite a high level of material and cultural consumption. All of this the migrant is ready to leave for the sake of (sometimes illusory) prospects in Europe. Thus, the desire to leave Russia is expressed, and, increasingly, is undertaken by those who are the backbone of the Russian society. These are people who are sufficiently secure at home and their desire to emigrate is not related to any kind of financial distress. As it is shown in the quantitative analysis carried out by us, current migration is related to political reasons - the lack of the freedom of speech and the overall inability to influence the political destiny of the country. This general conclusion was made based on extensive research which sought to determine the nature of the Russian migration to Europe. It is defined as representing a kind of "new wave of dissent", caused primarily not due to economic distress, but rather, because of the political futility of the regime in the eyes of the middle class. © 2015, Mediterranean Center of Social and Educational Research. All rights reserved.