Introduction

More than a quarter century has passed since the Soviet Union disappeared from the world’s map. This powerful geopolitical upheaval has entailed many economic and political consequences, among which two directly affect the geography and volume of global international migration flows. Firstly, after the dissolution of the USSR, migration flows among the former Soviet republics was transformed from an internal phenomenon to an external one. Secondly, the collapse of the Iron Curtain gave the population of most former Soviet republics the right to freely leave their country. These changes motivate this book, in which authors from 15 countries have teamed up to summarize the movement of population over the post-Soviet territories, both within the newly independent states and to and from other countries over the past 25 years. Our focus is on the volume of migration flows, the number and sociodemographic characteristics of migrants, migration determinants and the situation of migrants in receiving countries. The authors, who include demographers, economists, geographers, anthropologists, sociologists, and political scientists, use varying methods in their contributions, which are informed by their research areas and disciplinary traditions. The diversity of our authors once again emphasizes the multifaceted nature of post-Soviet migration movements.