Overview
Russia is a multinational and ethnically diverse country hosting more than 193 ethnic groups with a majority of ethnic Russians (81%), and more than 19% ethnic minorities including Tatar 3.9%, Ukrainian 1.4%, Bashkir 1.1%, and others 16.1% (2010 est.: Encyclopaedia Britannica 2023). The Soviet Union’s policy of forced assimilation and Russification during the 20th century, including the suppression of Indigenous languages and cultures in various regions, has had a lasting impact on cultural and ethnic relations. After the collapse of the Soviet Union’s in 1991, Russia witnessed intensive waves of migration, mainly form former Soviet states. Migrants from these states reached 74% of the total migration into the country by 2009.
Immigrants in Russia face unfavourable prospects of long-term integration. In addition to the recurrent issues such as the lack of political participation, as in most of Central Europe, migrants face barriers and limits in securing access to nationality. Furthermore, immigrants face a lack of access to basic rights and equal opportunities in the areas of social services, healthcare, education, and labour market. Victims of ethnic, racial, religious, and nationality discrimination have little chance to access justice in Russia, relying on inadequate laws, no direct enforcement mechanisms, and no independent specialised equality body (MIPEX 2020). The absence of a clear policy on multiculturalism and migration often aggravates xenophobia, ethnic and religious intolerance within the country (Lebedeva & Tatarko 2013; MIPEX 2020).
Intercultural Dialogue Index (ICDI) Score
| Component | Score |
| Legislative Dimension | 0.61 |
| Multiculturalism | 0.58 |
| Anti-Discrimination | 0.67 |
| Structural Dimension | 0.52 |
| Social Contact | 0.17 |
| Fractionalisation | 0.69 |
| Inequality | 1.01 |
| Access to communication | 0.32 |
| Cohesion and Stability | 0.42 |
| Opportunities Dimension | 0.53 |
| Attitudes | 0.59 |
| Inclusion | 0.56 |
| Freedoms and Rights | 0.44 |
| ICDI Score | 0.55 |
Summary
Russia has achieved an overall ICDI score of 0.55. The slightly above average score in the legislative dimension indicates the presence some of anti-discrimination laws, requiring greater implementation to address racism and discrimination. Russia also showed favourable scores in the low levels of socioeconomic inequality and ethno-religious divisions. However, the mix of below average scores in the components of social contact, and freedoms and rights, as well as the modest scores in the component of inclusion indicates a mild level of minority representation in the country and moderate inclusion for minorities index. In addition, scores below 0.5 in the components of fractionalization and access to communication indicate a less than average degree of social contact amongst different ethnic groups.
Current situation and outlook
Russia has achieved moderate scores in its legislative and opportunities dimensions, while there are mixed scores contributing to its structural dimension. In particular, the average score in the latter could be attributed to the component of social contact which reflects a lack of cultural participation and a low number of immigrant and Indigenous living languages. Russia’s ICDI score could improve with more attention to tourist arrivals, promoting cultural participation and efforts to preserve Indigenous languages, improved access to communication, and the expansion of freedoms to all citizens.