Migration Connectivity of the Regions of Asian Russia: Theoretical Approaches and Description Parameters

The article presents the results of a study on the connectivity of regions of Asian Russia based on indicators of permanent population migration as a variety of interregional interactions. It is assumed that the presence of intensive migration exchanges between regions indicates the connectivity, as do their sustainability and stability over time. The study use statistical data on interregional population migration of the Siberian Federal District, the Far Eastern Federal District, and Tyumen Oblast for 2015, 2019, and 2023. The study calculates the intensity (rate) coefficient of interregional migration flows between all pairs of regions of Asian Russia. Then, pairs of regions with the most pronounced values of migration exchange indicators were selected, followed by identification of groups of connected regions classified by geography (geographical proximity, common borders). The intensity of migration exchanges within those groups is higher than with territories outside. These groups are the Western and Southern groups in Western Siberia, the Yenisei and Baikal groups in Eastern Siberia, and a group of regions of the Far East. The study shows general trends in the migration processes: a decrease in migration exchanges and “Western drift,” which means that the intensity of the westward migration flow is higher than the intensity of the eastward migration flow. It describes the interregional migration connectivity according to the following parameters: the intensity of migration exchanges, natural or institutional genesis of connectivity, symmetry or asymmetry of migration flows, forms of connectivity, and sustainability of migration connections. To assess the sustainability of interregional migration connections, first, the study compares the values of migration intensity (rate) coefficients over several years, and second, it uses data from the 2020–2021 All-Russian Population Census regarding in which regions the natives of certain territories of Asian Russia live.