Russia Faces Security Threats Due to High Levels of Illegal Migration - Official

There has been no significant reduction in the number of illegal migrants in Russia, this situation threatens public security and creates a breeding ground for terrorism in the country, Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev said Monday.

YAKUTSK (Sputnik) — Speaking in the city of Yakutsk at a meeting on national security in the Far Eastern Federal District, Patrushev said that conditions for the work of foreign citizens in Russia had been simplified, and conditions for social and cultural adaptation of migrants were being created.

"However, it has not yet been possible to achieve a significant reduction of illegal migration, which still threatens public security, is a breeding ground for terrorism, cross-border crime, criminalizes economic relations," he said.

Patrushev noted that the issue of illegal migration was particularly challenging for Russia's Far East, where the migration was intensive against the background of low density of indigenous population.

"The growing scale of the use of forged documents, false domicile and resident registrations arouses concern," Patrushev added.

Russia's Far East shares a border of nearly 4,200 kilometers (2,609 miles) with China, with cases of illegal migration to the Russian low dense region being quite often. A large number of illegal migration to Russia comes from the countries of the former Soviet Union.