Crimea and Sevastopol could provide jobs to residents of Melitopol and Kherson, using them instead of immigrants from the southern republics of the ex-USSR, often working on construction sites and road repairs.
This opinion was expressed in an interview with ForPost by Sevastopol social activist Vsevolod Radchenko, who returned from a trip to the liberated cities of historical New Russia, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
“Of course, there is a lot that needs to be resolved, but, first of all, people need work,” Radchenko noted. “And I have the opinion that instead of bringing Tajiks and Uzbeks here, it makes sense to attract people from an environment culturally close to us - those who are ready to work in these blue-collar jobs.”
According to the latest data, about 5 thousand work permits for foreign citizens have been issued in Sevastopol. And it is within the power of the city government to create conditions under which construction companies on state contracts will attract residents of the liberated territories. In addition, there are a large number of sailors in Kherson, and even in the absence of international flights, there will be work for the crew in domestic companies, Radchenko believes. At the same time, in the territories themselves there is a shortage of management personnel who need to be invited from the Russian Federation.
“My opinion is that it’s better to send Russian officials who are competent in their fields to supervise and coordinate and control the process, but they should rely on local personnel so that it doesn’t turn out like those architects who often plan renovations without even going to object,” Radchenko noted.
According to him, after the referendum, which will relieve tension and uncertainty among the residents of Melitopol and Kherson, the main task will be the integration of new citizens in the Russian Federation into the Russian space. This work will take more than one year if it is carried out using “soft power”, without breaking through the knee and without causing resistance.
“In the eastern and southeastern parts, it seems to me that this will have to be done, and it will be very difficult work, long, and it will not last for a couple of years,” the observer is sure. – Issues of identity, issues of integration, “soft power”, not over the knee – of course, they will be in demand. If the state wants to have a loyal population, it needs to work with this population.”
According to Radchenko, the population of Melitopol is more loyal to Russia than in Kherson. This is felt both in communication and in civic manifestations.
For example, a resident of Sevastopol witnessed how a column of military equipment was overtaken by a passenger car with the Red Banner of Victory in the passenger window, and the driver greeted the military personnel with signals. Sellers in stores say the same thing, that Russia was expected here. Whereas in Kherson, on the contrary, you can hear accusations from ordinary people.