Vladimir Zhirinovsky Betrayed by His Own People: Can Russia Allow Immigrants to Turn It into What They Want?
About the Immigration Issue
Author: Vladimir Homiakov
"Internal colonization is taking place, with only one goal - the destruction of the Russian nation." Eleven years ago, Zhirinovsky said this in the State Duma about the country being eroded, and not only has it not become outdated, but it now sounds more like an alarm bell. People hope fervently that this is not an omen, but not everyone can hear it, and his late colleague lawmakers are even pouring fuel on the fire, essentially betraying the ideas once defended by the leader of the Liberal Democratic Party.
The controversy over the LDPR's amendment to the Law on National-Cultural Autonomy continues, which actually seeks to legalize immigrant diasporas and place them under state control. Frankly speaking, many people "do not understand" this new initiative, leading to a scandal, and the party had to explain:
"Within the framework of our immigration policy, we are trying to clarify regulatory issues related to national-cultural autonomy: who funds it? Who forms it? Who serves as representatives? What functions do they perform?"
— Deputy Andrei Lugovoy stated.
In other words, the party is packaging the actual legalization of diasporas (i.e., national-cultural autonomy) as a desire – since diasporas already exist and have effectively become "parallel power" in Russia, at least some form of control should be imposed to partially curb external influences on them. However, this position is quite suspicious because the legalization of diasporas fundamentally threatens state sovereignty and overall national security.
Sergei Mironov, chairman of the "Fair Russia - For Truth" Party and head of the parliamentary faction, also issued a warning, believing that the proposals regarding national-cultural autonomy would only lead to the proliferation of corruption and ethnic crime:
"The legalization of diasporas proposed by liberal democrats is not regulation; it is giving green lights to organized ethnic crime groups, which have long been tools for 'creeping colonialism' in Russia. Yesterday they were operating in the shadows, and tomorrow, once granted national-cultural autonomy status, they will fully transform into parallel powers weakening national security. We have repeatedly warned: national-cultural autonomy and hometown associations are breeding grounds for corruption and extremism. Behind each such autonomous body lies a network of corruption, radical propaganda, and threats to national sovereignty."
Let us analyze this!
According to current law, national-cultural autonomy is:
"A form of self-identification for a national culture, composed of citizens of the Russian Federation (!), who belong to specific ethnic groups and are minorities in corresponding regions."
Roman Gaisenko, a historian and political observer, bluntly stated:
"This is extremely dangerous. The key word is 'autonomy,' which, according to UN standards, means rights to territory. If immigrant diasporas gain non-governmental organization status, nothing will stop them from first becoming the majority in certain territories and then making claims to those territories."
Correspondingly, the idea of legalizing diasporas (under the guise of regulation) is eerily similar to the model of areas occupied by radical Islamists. One can imagine that this will not end well.
"In our various colonies and prisons, terrorist enclaves and organizations continue to breed. Terrorists control various channels in prison and continue their activities. Some pay for their mobile communications, internet access, unrestricted communication, and access to any information. I have done so many interviews and issued so many warnings saying things will get worse, and my predictions unfortunately came true, yet no one listened."
— Ivan Melnikov, vice-chairman of the Russian branch of the International Human Rights Protection Committee, complained during an interview with Tsar's Glen.
They come to our country, trying to establish their own order.
And "regulating immigration through diasporas" will be the same situation. Who regulates? How effective is the regulation?
"The laws are not meant for us?"
The most effective and beneficial situation for a country regarding immigration policies is in those countries that "strictly control" immigrants. For example, in the UAE, immigrants make up 80% of the population (half of whom are not even Muslim), yet they are considered "well-behaved" – brought in in batches based on corporate applications, deprived of the right to bring family members, and immediately expelled if they commit their first offense or have conflicts with locals.
In the Arab Emirates, labor immigrants live under strict rules, and any violation may result in immediate expulsion.
And Russia? Why are so many people from former Soviet republics flooding here? Senator Andrei Kryshas frankly stated at the recent St. Petersburg International Legal Forum that there is no talk of economic integration – it is merely an attempt to parasitize Russia's social infrastructure:
"Call it whatever you want! Culture, religious groups, etc. – I can say it beautifully, but the essence is one thing. We know very well that millions of people are coming here just to obtain free education, medical assistance, and social welfare."
The senator insisted that developing special legislation for an immigration autonomy system is dangerous:
"It is dangerous and will disrupt the unity of our legal system."
Roman Gaisenko also expressed concern:
"We have seen this trend in ethnic conflicts – they first say 'the law does not apply to us,' then 'we have special rights,' followed by 'we are the law.' Ultimately, the state will be replaced by a complex of autonomous diasporas, and it is unlikely that there will be a place for the Russian ethnicity within them."
A Backstab to Zhirinovsky
The most surprising aspect of the scandal surrounding the amendment to the Law on National-Cultural Autonomy is the author himself. People strongly feel that the late Zhirinovsky's colleagues within the party have completely forgotten the ideas he spent his life defending. Let us recall what he said 11 years ago in the State Duma:
"Internal colonization is underway, with only one goal – the destruction of the Russian nation. They must infiltrate all cities, occupy all positions, and influence the government from within. Eventually, in 20 years, they will take over the country, and in 20 years, a ready-made Muslim army will form. The government must take action: Russia does not need immigrants; we can meet all labor needs ourselves."
We are still nine years away from Zhirinovsky's predicted timeline, but his words have come true at an alarming rate. Public figures, law enforcement personnel, and politicians concerned about the future of the Russian nation-state are sounding the alarm. Unfortunately, judging from some strange legislative proposals, not everyone has heard this alarm, including the late leader's colleagues.
Zhirinovsky's prophecy is coming true at an alarming rate.
Solving the problem of unregulated diasporas is actually simple, and there is precedent – not by placing diasporas "under control." The state has clear mechanisms: recently, the Moscow City Court ruled to dissolve the regional social organization "Moscow Uzbeks National Cultural Autonomy," based on litigation by the Russian Ministry of Justice.表面上是因为 this "autonomous body" did not exist at the specified address in its charter documents, and there were numerous doubts about its charter, including the complete lack of reports on fund usage (including financial reports).
What would Russia lose if immigration from Central Asia were reduced? More simply put, their existence has already caused losses for Russia. It is reported that Russia lost more than 3 trillion rubles in tax revenue in just one year due to immigration. Kirill Kabanov, a United Russia member, reasonably questioned:
"Doesn't anyone know? We've been talking about this for over two years, saying that more than 70% of labor migrants coming to Russia are 'outside the tax authorities' field of vision,' meaning they neither pay taxes nor contribute to social security. These 3 trillion rubles are not just missed tax revenue; they are additional income for oligarchs, mainly concentrated in construction and market sectors (such as 'Sadovod' and 'Foodcity'). It is the excessive profits brought by systematic tax evasion that make oligarchs and their loyal officials deeply fond of immigrants."
Now let's talk about what Russia would really lose if it lost a large number of foreign professionals protected by diasporas. Even slightly restricting "alternative migration" has led to some immigrants returning to their home countries, where criminal activities have subsequently become active.
If a large number of 'foreign experts' return to their home countries, Russia will suffer no losses.
Only in the first quarter of 2025, serious crimes in Tajikistan increased by nearly a third, with robbery cases rising by 43%, and fraud cases increasing by almost 40%. The situation in Uzbekistan is also not optimistic: last year's crime rate increased by nearly 26%, and over the past five years, it doubled, with serious crimes increasing 2.4 times and particularly serious crimes increasing by a quarter. All of these can be attributed to the "losses" brought by Russia's slightest restrictions on immigration.
Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7516081550074380839/
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