Mokin K.S. (2026) The Virtualization of Territorial Identity and the Formation of Migrant Digital Enclaves in Moscow. Mir Rossii, vol. 35, no 1, pp. 6–27 (in Russian).

Текст статьи на сайте журнала URL: https://mirros.hse.ru/article/view/31769 (дата обращения 12.02.2026)

Abstract

This article examines the formation of ethnic enclaves in Moscow and outlines the diversity of research approaches to understanding migratory ethnocultural enclaves. Using the example of Moscow, it demonstrates the crystallization of ethnic enclaves based on the digital reproduction of migrants’ original territorial identity and identifies the key factors that stimulate ethnocultural diasporization. The empirical basis of the study is a large-scale survey on adaptation and integration conducted by HSE University in 2023 (N = 3,533) and 48 semi-structured interviews with labor migrants aimed at identifying motives and strategies of adaptation and integration into the host society. In addition, the article analyzes online media sources that report on changes in legislation concerning migrants, the formation of public phobias, and shifts in migration policy discourse. Moscow represents the largest center of migration in Russia and the country’s biggest labor market. In 2024, 6.17 million people were registered as migrants in Russia, including 3.34 million foreign citizens and stateless persons in Moscow—over half of the total migration inflow. The (re)production of diaspora identity is driven by the continued tightening of state restrictions on foreign cultural migrants and by the corresponding response of migrant communities to these restrictive political and social practices. The study records a shift from the territorial expansion of ethnic communities (through the establishment of local enclaves and settlements) toward the formation of parallel virtual spaces. The increasing digitalization of clan-based and territorial-ethnic networks manifests itself in active communication with relatives in the country of origin and within local communities. The virtualization—or digital encapsulation—of migrant communities reduces the need for adaptation and integration into the host society, thereby reinforcing enclavization in Moscow. Modern technology enables migrants to maximize the benefits of converting their social capital within their communities and in interactions with the local population, contributing to the reproduction of a communal (enclave) identity.