Russia’s War in Ukraine: The Development of Russian Illiberalism and Migration in Central Asia

This chapter analyses the impact which Russia’s war in Ukraine, as the manifestation of illiberal politics in Russia, has had on migration. We outline key developments in Russia’s security policy and the shift towards ideological and disruptive illiberalism rooted in Soviet and imperial traditions and examine the war’s impact on mobilities within and from Central Asia, specifically looking at what these changing dynamics mean for illiberalism and authoritarian rule in the region. The analysis points to the fact that Russian illiberalism has formed a loose state ideology, resulting in a balancing act between political and economic goals in the Global East and Global South and utilizing forced migration and refugees
as a hybrid tool to influence the outcome of the war. Ultimately, the way in which migration is addressed in the region is likely to have significant implications for the future of illiberalism.