The key facts
- About 7.5 million foreigners entered Russia in the first nine months of 2026 — almost 10% fewer than in the same period of 2025
- The share of officially employed migrants rose from 45% to 50% (ten years ago it was 25%)
- The number of crimes committed by foreigners fell by about 40% — to more than 20,000 from January to September
Interior Ministry data on the migration situation
In the first nine months of 2026, about 7.5 million foreign citizens entered Russia — almost 10% fewer than in the same period of 2025. These figures were cited by Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev during a government hour in the Federation Council, reports Life.ru.
Employment, crime and citizenship
According to the minister, as of October 1 there were about 6.5 million foreign citizens in Russia. The share of migrants officially employed rose from 45% to 50%; ten years ago, according to Kolokoltsev, this figure stood at 25%. The number of crimes committed by foreigners from January to September exceeded 20,000 — roughly 40% less than last year's level — and their share in the overall crime structure fell to 3.4%. The number of people granted Russian citizenship over the year fell by a third; over the past three years, citizenship was revoked from more than five thousand previously naturalized individuals.
Entry bans
Earlier, Life.ru reported, citing Interior Ministry official spokesperson Irina Volk, that in the first eight months of 2026 more than 260,000 foreigners were banned from entering Russia — 75.8% more than in the same period of 2025. The main grounds were violations of migration law, earlier deportation decisions, and the provision of false information. Thus, the decline in the overall inflow of arrivals is accompanied by a marked increase in individual entry bans — both figures come from the same agency, but in different statements.
