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(February 14, 2026 - February 20, 2026) February 20, 2026 10 News India Times India www.newsindiatimes.com – that’s all you need to know Russia, Facing Labour Crunch Worsened By War, Pivots To India For Workers A group of weary-looking Indian men carrying sports bags queued at passport control at a busy Moscow airport one recent evening after flying over 2,700 miles – and via Uzbekistan – to get work. “I have a contract for one year. In the rubbish disposal business. The money is good,” said Ajit, one of the men, speaking in English. Faced with what the authorities say is an immediate shortage of at least 2.3 million workers, a shortfall exac- erbated by the strain of Russia’s war in Ukraine and one that Russia’s traditional source of foreign labour – Central Asians – is not able to fill, Moscow is turning to a new supplier: India. INDIAN INFLUX HELPS RUSSIA MAKE UP LABOUR SHORTFALL In 2021, a year before Russia sent its troops into Ukraine, some 5,000 work permits were approved for Indian nationals. Last year, almost 72,000 permits were okayed for Indians – nearly a third of the total annual quota for migrant workers on visas. “Currently, expatriate employees from India are the most popular,” said Alexei Filipenkov, director of a com- pany that brings in Indian workers. He said workers from ex-Soviet Central Asia, who do not need visas, had stopped coming in sufficient num- bers. Official figures show they still made up the majority of some 2.3 million legal foreign workers not requiring a visa last year, however. But a weaker rouble, tougher migration laws, and increasingly sharp anti-immigrant rhetoric from Russian politicians have eroded their numbers and encouraged Moscow to boost visa quotas for workers from elsewhere. The choice of India for unskilled labour reflects strong defence and economic ties between Moscow and New Delhi. India has been buying discounted Russian oil that Moscow – due toWestern sanctions – cannot easily sell elsewhere, although that may now be in question. President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi signed a deal in December to make it eas- ier for Indians to work in Russia. Denis Manturov, Russia’s first deputy prime minister, said at the time that Russia could accept an “unlimited number” of Indian workers. At least 800,000 people were needed in manufacturing, and another 1.5 million in the service and construction sectors, he said. INDIANS WORKING IN RUSSIAN FACTORIES AND FARMS Brera Intex, a Moscow textiles company, has hired around 10 workers from South Asia, including Indians, to make curtains and bed linen. Sat at a sewing machine, 23-year-old Gaurav from In- dia said he had been working in Russia for three months. “I was told to come (over) to this side, that the work and money are good,” he said. “Russian life is very good.” Married with two children, he said he spoke to his family back in India by phone every day and told them he missed them. Olga Lugovskaya, the company’s owner, said the work- ers – with the help of samples and supervision – had picked up the work in time and were highly motivated. “Some of the guys who came in didn’t even know how to switch on a sewing machine,” she said. “(But) after two or three months, you could already trust them to sew a proper finished item.” Outside Moscow, the Sergiyevsky farm relies on Indian workers too, using them to process and pack vegetables for an average salary of about 50,000 roubles ($660) per month, a salary for which the farm says locals will not work. “I have been working here, at Sergiyevsky, for one year,” said Sahil, 23, who said he was from India’s Punjab region. “In India there is little money, but here there is a lot of money. The work is here.” U.S. pressure on India to halt its purchases of Russian oil – something President Donald Trump has linked to a trade deal between the United States and India an- nounced this month – could yet dampen Moscow’s ap- petite for Indian workers. But for now it’s unclear how New Delhi will recalibrate its oil purchases, and Moscow has played down any sug- gestion of tensions. -Reuters By AndrewOsborn and Ekaterina Maksimova PHOTO:REUTERS/Anastasia Barashkova Raj, 32, Shail, 30, and Gaurav, 23 (no last names given), migrant workers from India, sew tulle fabric at a textile factory in the town of Balashikha outside Moscow, Russia, January 20, 2026. Ask Sahaj: My Son’s 5-Month Relationship Ended 3 Years Ago. He’s Still Reeling son,” because this can sometimes lead to more dwelling on the past, I would encourage you to focus on your son’s present-day feelings, thoughts and behaviors. You should be careful not to negate what he is feeling or try to solve his feelings for him; you don’t want to dis- courage his sense of agency to find solutions and support for himself. However, I am curious about the line in your letter regarding his struggle to “trust any other women” or “fall for this type of girl again.” Consider what he means when he says this and how he may be channeling his rejection, pain or even humiliation into broad overgener- alizations and even potentially harmful views. Ask questions and offer new ways of thinking to chal- lenge his focus on what could go wrong or negativity. This may sound like, “Do you feel like you are being fair to yourself?” Or, “Are you sure that’s the only conclusion to make from that experience?” You may also consider offer- ing the other side of his perspective. For example, when he says something about not wanting to get hurt again, you may say something like, “What might you be missing out on by avoiding a relationship?” Your son sounds ambivalent when it comes to doing anything to initiate change. You can reflect this back to him by saying, “You say you want to get help and stop feeling this way, but it’s been three years.” Or, “I know you are struggling and I know you don’t want to feel this way, but I wonder how anything will change. What do you think?” Sometimes, it’s easier to feel bad about something and blame ourselves than it is to take action and accept that you can experience pain from a previous relation- ship and believe in the possibility of finding joy and love in a different relationship. Right now, your son has tied his sense of self to this experience. Help build up his self-esteem by normalizing breakups. He needs to know that weeding through the wrong people to find the right person is something that everyone more or less navigates and that it isn’t a sign that something is wrong with him. And encourage him to partake in activities and invest in friendships that make him feel good. It’s hard for you to see your son like this. As a parent, you want to save him from feeling pain or heartache, but unfortunately you can’t. This is an experience he has to move through himself. But this doesn’t mean you can’t be supportive and encouraging. You can tell him you are concerned matter-of-factly and without judgment. This may sound like, “I love you and know that this has been hard on you. I am worried that it is keeping you from liv- ing your life.” Because it’s been years of him feeling this way, and he has shown interest, you may want to consider providing him with professional or mental health resources in your area or hotlines such as 988. Remem- ber, you can be a compass and guide while he navigates this heartache without doing the work for him. Sahaj Kaur Kohli is a therapist and the creator of Brown Girl Therapy. -Special to TheWashington Post PHOTO:@sahajkaurkohli.com - Continued From Page 9 Community