Russian Labour Ministry denies reports of recruiting 1 million Indian workers in 2025

Russia plans to recruit 1 Million Indian workers (File image)

Russia’s Labour Ministry has reportedly denied claims that it plans to induct around 1 million workers from India by the end of the year.

Andrei Besedin, head of the Ural Chamber of Commerce and Industry, had earlier stated that Russia plans to recruit up to 1 million Indian workers by the end of the year to address labour shortages caused by the deployment of Russian men to the war in Ukraine, according to a report by The Moscow Times.

The report later said that the Labour Ministry told the RBC news website that the recruitment of workers from India is regulated by quotas that are set a year in advance based on regions and employers' needs.

"Each specialist from visa countries invited within the quota obtains a work visa and work permit. And the company, before employing a visa worker, obtains permission from the Interior Ministry to hire such employees," the Labour Ministry told RBC.

Apart from Indian workers, Moscow is also planning to hire from Sri Lanka and North Korea, Besedin had said.

Last year, more than 4,000 Indian migrants applied for jobs in St Petersburg, and Indian workers are already employed at some construction sites in Kaliningrad and Moscow.

Russian businesses began experimenting with Indian labour earlier this year, with Moscow-based developer Samolyot Group launching a pilot program to hire Indian construction workers.

“The results haven’t been particularly successful,” said Alexei Akindinov, the company’s operations director, according to The Moscow Times.

For this year, Russia’s total quota for foreign workers stands at 234,900, with 71,817 spots for Indian citizens.