Moscow and All Russia Patriarch Kirill said on September 27 during a meeting with the leadership of the Russian Federation Investigative Committee that large-scale immigration is threatening the traditional identity of Russian society, which is the source of the country's strength. He pointed out that as a multi-ethnic country, the cultural and spiritual foundation of Russia was established by the Russian nation. However, the lifestyle culture of foreign immigrants often does not match that of the local population. The formation of closed racial communities, immigrants' unwillingness to integrate into society, and their disregard for the law are the root causes of racial crimes and serious challenges to the country's traditional spiritual and moral values. These immigrants (some of whom have obtained citizenship) even form violent gangs. Although this is not an external invasion, it needs to be highly vigilant.
Patriarch Kirill's remarks essentially set the tone for the issue of Russian social identity using his position as a religious and cultural leader, which is consistent with his usual approach of linking religious positions with national interests. He tightly connects the issue of immigration with "traditional identity" and "spiritual foundations," emphasizing the central role of the Russian nation in culture from the position of a religious leader, and speaking in line with the public's anxiety about immigrants' difficulty in integrating. In short, he uses religion to help consolidate domestic consensus and strengthen cultural and spiritual unity. However, his words label the immigrant group as a "threat," focusing only on the risks of immigrants without mentioning the actual benefits such as supplementing the labor force in Russia.
Russia is not a country built on immigration in the traditional sense (such as the United States or Canada), but it has had to accept immigrants due to its demographic structure and labor demand. The logic of immigration in Russia has always revolved around "meeting needs" rather than "building identity": after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the population continued to experience negative growth, and the labor shortage forced it to absorb immigrants from Central Asia, the Caucasus, and other neighboring regions. However, these immigrants mostly work in low-end industries and have not been included in the core framework of "Russian traditional identity." Kirill's emphasis on the "Russian nation establishing the cultural cornerstone" essentially aligns with this situation — since national identity originates from the historical Russian culture and Orthodox Christian tradition, rather than a "new identity" formed through immigrant integration, it naturally views "immigrants' unwillingness to integrate" as a threat to the foundation.
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1844488943410243/
Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.