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More than 2,000 people from neighboring countries choose to move to Yamal

More than 2,000 people have participated in the state-supported program, under which compatriots from the former Soviet Union countries have chosen to move to Russia's Yamalo-Nenets Region

TASS, December 18. More than 2,000 people over recent six years have participated in the state-supported program, under which compatriots from the former Soviet Union countries have chosen to move to Russia's Yamalo-Nenets Region, the local government told TASS on Tuesday.

"Under the program, 2,129 people have moved to Yamal, where 1,866 have received the Russian citizenship," the government’s international department said. "Ukrainians make 67%. <..> The biggest inflow [of the Ukrainian citizens] was in 2014, and later on it declined."

Initially, the program was planned for the period between 2013 and 2018 to attract specialists to the Arctic region. Compatriots from Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Bulgaria, Latvia and Lithuania have passed simplified procedures to obtain the Russian citizenship. Most of them chose to live in Novy Urengoi, which is called the region’s gas capital.

"As for the education levels, 70% have higher education, 25% have graduated from colleges," the department quoted the region’s Deputy Governor Alexander Mazharov as saying.

The compatriots, he continued, have used allowances for settlement and document formalities, and benefits for housing rent.

The Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Region wants to continue the program and has filed necessary documents with the Russian Interior Ministry, the regional government added.