Russia expects to recruit as many as 1 million workers from India by the end of the year, said Andrei Besedin, head of the Ural Chamber of Commerce and Industry, citing his Indian counterparts.

The effort comes as Russia, grappling with an intensifying labor shortage linked to the ongoing war in Ukraine and broader demographic challenges, seeks to tap into labor pools beyond the former Soviet sphere.

“Agreements have been reached, in particular, with India. As far as I heard from my Indian colleagues, 1 million specialists from India will come to Russia, including the Sverdlovsk region, by the end of the year,” Besedin said in an interview.

A new Indian consulate would open in Yekaterinburg to accommodate the incoming Indian laborers, he said.

He added that these workers will help address staff shortages at metallurgical and mechanical engineering enterprises in the Sverdlovsk region.

“Many local workers have left to take part in the conflict in Ukraine, while young people are not seeking jobs in factories,” he said.