More than half a million Kyrgyz nationals live in Russia, according to Russia's Federal Migration Service. Some 22,000 of them have settled in remote regions of Siberia, maintaining close-knit communities of Kyrgyz speakers. RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service recently visited members of the Kyrgyz diaspora in the regions of Yakutia and Krasnoyarsk.
A New Home In Siberia For Kyrgyz Migrants
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An ethnically mixed Kyrgyz and Yakut family in Yakutiya
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Kyrgyz migrant Toichubek runs a successful cattle and horse ranch in the village of Kutugun in the Irkutsk region.
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Children of Kyrgyz migrants at play. The Kyrgyz language is often heard in the yards outside some apartment blocks in Krasnoyarsk.
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Kyrgyz workers change a kitchen gas cylinder in the village of Uedei village in Yakutia.
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A popular Kyrgyz-style restaurant in Yakutsk
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Ulan serves in the Yakutsk police department; his wife teaches history at a local university; and their daughter Aigerim was one of the first Kyrgyz students to graduate from the local high school with top honors.
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On board the train from Irkutsk to Krasnoyarsk
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Many migrants work as traders at the market in Yakutsk.
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A Kyrgyz migrant in Krasnoyarsk has organized a volleyball tournament as part of his son's wedding celebration.
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A market trader in Irkutsk
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Mechanics in Irkutsk
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Many migrants bring goods to local markets from the massive Dordoi market near Bishkek, the Kyrgyz capital.
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A Kyrgyz market vendor in Irkutsk
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The village of Kutugun in the Irkutsk region. Some Kyrgyz migrants keep horses to produce kumis, a mildly alcoholic drink made from fermented horse milk.
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Horses are brought in for milking near the village of Kutugun.
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The road to Abakan, Khakassia