Host Country Politics and Political Opportunity: How Migration Regimes Shape Russian Migrant Mobilization

• In Event: The Political Diversity of the New Russian Migration since February 2022: Demographics, Attitudes, Dynamics over Time

Abstract

This paper investigates the political behavior of Russian migrants who fled their home country following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, focusing on how host country migration policies shape political engagement. By comparing migrants in Tbilisi, Georgia, and Vilnius, Lithuania, this study challenges the assumption that this war-induced diaspora is uniformly politicized and ready to mobilize. Drawing on social movement theory and the framework of political opportunity structures, I argue that migration policies play a crucial role in shaping the composition of migrant communities and their political behavior. Specifically, Lithuania’s stricter visa and residency requirements foster a politically engaged migrant population, while Georgia’s more relaxed policies result in a greater focus on economic adaptation and minimal political involvement. Through in-depth interviews with 30 migrants, this research explores how various constraints – ranging from migration regulations to socio-political environments – affect migrants’ relationship to their home country and their willingness to engage politically. The study contributes to broader scholarship on diaspora politics and transnational political behavior, offering policy implications for host countries concerning the long-term prospects of this migration group.

Author

• Alena Struzh, Columbia U