Migrants must learn Russian and respect the law – Putin

Immigrants who come to work and live in Russia must comply with its laws and respect its customs and traditions, including learning the language, President Vladimir Putin said on Monday.

Putin addressed the issue at a meeting of the Council for the Development of Civil Society and Human Rights, traditionally held in early December.

“We need to attract such labor resources that meet the interests of the Russian economy,” the president said. “This means that [these] people must be prepared from a linguistic, ethnocultural point of view. They must know our traditions and so on.”

The interest of Russia and its citizens “must be put first,” the president insisted. All immigrants and visitors also “must comply with Russian laws,” Putin clarified. “And, of course, we, as a civilized country, must also ensure their rights.” 

Russia is opening schools in several countries of the former Soviet Union – part of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) to assist with Russian language instruction and cultural events, the president informed the council.

Moscow has withdrawn from several international human rights organizations because they have become “virtually controlled” by the West, demonstrating “political bias, hypocrisy, and open selectivity,” Putin said in his opening remarks.

For eight years, these organizations have looked away and have done nothing when confronted with “flagrant violations” by Ukraine against the residents of Donbass, he noted. Not only did they “not notice” the violations happening, but they also encouraged Russophobia and even supported countries “racing to take first place in the shameful competition” of hating Russia the most.

Moscow is fully committed to the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and is “ready to cooperate with all interested countries and partners to find solutions to form an effective, fair, equal system for ensuring human rights for all,” Putin concluded.