Displaced, Unemployed Russians Express Outrage At Russian Government's Funding, New Homes, And Jobs For Palestinian Refugees

On June 24, 2024, a Russian newspaper, Vedomosti, reported[1] that the Russian government would allocate 57.6 million rubles (about US $672,000) to support refugees from the Palestinian territories. Nine Russian regions are hosting the refugees: Dagestan, Ingushetia, Chechnya, Karachay-Cherkessia Republic, as well as Kaluga, Lipetsk, Moscow, Tver, and Chelyabinsk oblasts.

Against a background of economic difficulties and Islamist terrorism in Russia, the government's decision caused bewilderment and public outcry, as the level of xenophobia in the country is on the rise.[2] The feelings seem to focus on groups that receive "unfair" or "favourable" treatment from the state in the form of benefits, budget transfers, etc. Such sentiments might be prevalent among groups who also depend on a diminishing state budget – i.e., pensioneers, low income and/or single-parent families, workers in state enterprises, government employees, and military servicemen (who constitute a significant percentage of Russian society), as well as the poor. These feelings are also being exploited by some extremist groups to win sympathy or to attract new members.  

Official Number Of Palestinian Refugees In Russia Today: 1,447 – But By Law, Only 244 Of Them Are "Refugees"

Following the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, and Israel's launch of Operation Iron Swords, civilians fled the Gaza Strip, becoming refugees. Many Russian media outlets and state officials criticized the Israeli government and how the hostilities were being conducted.

Although the number of Palestinian refugees in Russia is relatively small, the Ministry of Emergency Situations is tasked with accommodating them. Two decades ago, in December 2003, the media reported that Russia had accepted about 500 of them; 20 years later, in December 2023, that number had increased only by 250. According to the Russian government order allocating funds for the Palestinian refugees, as of April 13, 2024, there were only 1,447 Palestinian refugees in Russia.[3]

The cartoon above, captioned "Why don't we just accept everyone?" depicts dark-skinned people, some in traditional Arab headdress, riding on the brown bear symbolizing Russia and holding a Russian flag. (Source: Haknem media)[4]

One of the most outspoken defenders of the Gazan refugees is the head of the Chechen Republic, Ramzan Kadyrov. Kadyrov openly condemns the West, and Israel in particular, calling the latter's actions a "horrific Zionist act of genocide" and comparing its conduct to that of Nazi Germany: "In its brutality against Palestine, Israeli fascism today is in no way inferior, if not superior, to that [orchestrated by] Hitler. Praise be to Allah, who sees everything and is quick in settlement. It's precisely for the speedy punishment of Israeli criminals that hundreds of thousands of believers from the Chechen Republic are praying to Him," wrote Kadyrov on his Telegram account.[5]

Chechnya Builds Five New Apartment Buildings For 209 Members Of The 'Fraternal Palestinian People'; Displaced Russians Who Have Lost Their Homes: "I Just Have The Wrong Religion And Skin Color" To Receive Nice New Housing

Curiously, following the Russian government order, Chechnya will take in only 250 refugees – which would mean it would receive no more than 17% percent of the allocated federal funds (roughly 9.7 million rubles, or US $111,000). However, Chechnya will receive 15.6 million rubles.[6] This may indicate the authority's plans to allocate more refugees to the republic.

Chechnya is touting its help to the Palestinians. On June 28, 2024, a local Chechen media outlet, Groznii Inform, published an article describing newly built homes for the refugees in Chechnya.[7] Five new apartment buildings were commissioned for 209 representatives of the "fraternal Palestinian people," in the words of the head of Chechnya.

Against the backdrop of many Russians and displaced Ukrainians who have lost their homes due to hostilities or natural disasters,[8] these remarks provoked criticism. For example, Christian Orthodox and anti-migrant "Ioann" Telegram channel, commenting on the situation, wrote, "A settlement for Palestinian refugees has been commissioned in Rossiyaniya [a derogatory term for Russia]. These are nice little houses with outdoor playgrounds for children. And all paid with our taxes. Now, I really want to sign up for the SVO [war in Ukraine], to defend the Russian world. [I guess] I don't need a house, neither do I need children. It is the Islamists who should receive free housing in suburban area, while I just have wrong religion and skin color."[9]

A self-described "military volunteer," Roman Alekhin, whose Telegram channel attracts more than 135,000 subscribers, criticized the provision of housing as well: "Forty-three thousand Palestinian refugees … will receive comfortable housing with all the modern infrastructure in Russia.… About 1,500 families living in the border settlements of the Kursk Oblast, which have been under shelling for more than 2 years, cannot receive certificates for resettlement.… These are not words, but systemic solutions. And so far, these decisions are against the Russian people."[10]

Chechnya Will Build A New Community And Provide Jobs For  Jobs to "Preserve The National Identity Of Refugees From Palestine"

However, Chechen authorities didn't stop there. They plan to establish a Palestinian community to "preserve the national identity of refugees from Palestine."[11] During the settlement's opening ceremony, the Chechen Minister of National Policy, External Relations, Press and Information, Akhmed Dudayev, praised Chechen leadership for their support of Palestine and condemned Israel: "When many took a wait-and-see attitude, our leader Ramzan Kadyrov spoke loudly, unequivocally, firmly, condemning the actions of the satanic leadership of Israel."[12]

Dudaev also stated that the refugees might work at the Chechenavto plant, which is involved in the production of military vehicles.[13] However, the North Caucasus republics have a high unemployment rate; Chechnya, as of 2024, had an unemployment rate of 7.9%.[14]

Under the law, not all Palestinians are considered refugees. According to a Civic Assistance report,[15] only 244 people fall under the category "refugee" in Russia. This could be, in part, due to the complexity of the refugee application procedure, but also because many refugees already have Russian citizenship. In addition, Russian authorities have also started granting Russian passports to the refugees (often, mainly to family members of those who already possess a Russian passport).[16]

An illustration labelled "Palestinian refugees arrive in Russia" depicts a border checkpoint with Russian flags and a large crowd of Palestinians passing through immigration control. In the image, alongside ordinary civilians, a man on the right is wearing a military uniform and what could be an IIFS (Individual Integrated Fighting System) – a vest carrying ammunition. (Source: Haknem media)[17]

Bafflement And Anger In Russia: "Our Officials Cannot Establish Order Over The Citizens Of The Former Soviet Republics… [Yet] Here We Have Citizens Of A Totally Alien State, Angry At The Whole World, With Their Worldview And Traditions, Which Are Clearly Not Suitable For Living In A Secular State"

The news of the federal and local government spending on the Palestinians, as well as news of them receiving Russian passports, caused considerable bewilderment among right-wing groups in Russia. A fake news item ran on social media, asserting that the Kremlin planned to bring 43,000 Palestinians. For example, on "Interesting Life with Vera Star," a media outlet with more than 178,000 subscribers, a message criticized the authorities for expending high sums on refugees, noting the financial squeeze that many Russians face. "Yesterday, the news came that Russia is preparing to accept 43,000 refugees from Palestine. (...) Frankly speaking, I'm baffled when I read such news. Our officials cannot establish order over the citizens of the former Soviet republics [referring to labor migrants – that is, citizens of former Soviet republics such as Tajikistan and Uzbekistan who move to Russia to search for work], and here we have citizens of a totally alien state, angry at the whole world, with their worldview and traditions, which are clearly not suitable for living in a secular state." The text expresses indignation at the fact that the Russian taxpayers must fund this initiative: "And all this, naturally, at the expense of Russian taxpayers, who today, despite the cheerful statements of high-ranking officials, can barely make ends meet."[18]

The image above shows housing built for Palestinian refugees. The murals on the walls show the Chechen and Palestinian flags. (Source: Chechnya Segodnya media)[19]

A famous pro-war blogger, Sergey Kolyasnikov (Zergulio), who has more than 353,000 subscribers on his social media accounts, was also indignant at the initiative.[20] Additionally, Haknem media (with about 77,000 subscribers) attempted to stoke fear, saying that the refugees won't remain in the region designated for them by the Russian government and "will disperse throughout Russia, especially in large cities located in the European part of the country."[21]

The right-wing media also warned readers of dire consequences if refugees were allowed to remain in the country: "As for the Palestinians, they are very specific people, and the crime rate is unlikely to improve after their arrival. They are distinguished by the fact that wherever they find themselves, they create some kind of paramilitary formations. For example, you can remember Jordan, which gave them shelter, as we are going to do. So, after some time, they started to create paramilitary groups to fight against Jordan. (…) Will the story repeat itself in Russia?"[22]

Another famous "war blogger" and a serviceman of the Sabotage Assault Reconnaissance Group "Rusich" group, Evgeny Rasskazov (who has more than 50,000 subscribers on his Telegram channel) became indignant at the fact that the refugees receive state allowances: "But seriously, even their Arab 'bros' do not want to accept refugees from Palestine. The same Jordanians have a good case of the suppressing Palestinian militant organizations in 70-71," Rasskazov writes, referring to the "Black September" war between Jordan and the Palestinian Liberation Organization.

This Telegram post by "TopaZ speaking & Espanola" is manged by Evgeny Rasskazov. The photo shows a Palestinian refugee receiving a state allowance for childbirth, the so-called "mother capital." In the case of the woman in the picture, the text asserts her allowance is almost 19 times higher than the country's median salary. Several other channels have discussed her case.[23]

A popular Telegram channel called "Migrants – Things As They Are," reports on the Palestinian refugees being settled in Tula Oblast, wrote: "The vast majority of them [refugees] are Russian women who married Arabs, converted to Islam, and settled in the Gaza Strip. They didn't give a damn about Russia all this time; they didn't think about it until the ground under their feet 'caught fire' [i.e., the situation became dangerous]. It was then that patriotism immediately appeared, 'Russia, save us, help us, transport us, give us shoes, clothe us, provide us with housing, build a mosque for us...' and so on."