Up to 7,000 Russian families move to occupied Crimea every year

The occupying administration of Crimea has acknowledged the systematic resettlement of Russian citizens to the peninsula in an attempt to artificially mitigate the demographic crisis. 

This was reported by Suspilne Krym, citing Russian media outlets that quoted Vladimir Konstantinov, the head of the Crimean State Council.

According to Konstantinov, between 5,000 and 7,000 Russian families arrive to settle there annually. This influx of people has been the sole factor in halting the overall decline in the population, as the mortality rate on the peninsula continues to significantly exceed the birth rate.

The occupying authorities attribute the low birth rate among the local population to “a shift in the priorities of young people,” effectively ignoring the impact of socio-economic instability and the militarization of the region. While Russia is deliberately altering the demographic composition of Crimea—a violation of international humanitarian law regarding the settlement of occupied territories by the occupying state’s civilian population—the natural population decline remains consistently high. The artificial replacement of Ukrainian citizens with migrants from Russian regions is part of the Kremlin’s long-term strategy to assimilate the peninsula.

Experts note that such a policy is aimed at creating a social base loyal to the occupiers and eroding the identity of the indigenous population. Even with the active resettlement of Russians, the occupying authorities have failed to overcome the natural population decline, which indicates a deep systemic crisis in healthcare and the social sector of occupied Crimea. Ukraine continues to document these violations for future international legal proceedings, emphasizing the illegality of any demographic changes carried out during the occupation.

The Russian authorities plan to resettle more than 100,000 Russians to the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine by 2045.