Alexey Smirnov

Scopus Publications

Russian Migration to Siam (Thailand) in the Context of Bilateral Relations Development, Nineteenth to Twenty First Centuries
Sergey Ryazantsev, Marina N. Khramova, А В Смирнов
Oriental Studies, 2025
Introduction. Historically, Siam (Thailand) has been an open country for representatives of different nations due to its geographical location and religious tolerance. Goals. The study seeks to evaluate impacts of bilateral international relations on the past/present determinants and features of Russian migration to Siam (Thailand). The paper is first to consider the phenomenon of tourism and forms of Russian migration to Siam (Thailand) through the prism of bilateral relations development in comparative retrospective and present-day contexts. Materials and methods. The works focuses on pre-revolutionary Russian publications, scholarly editions, available statistical data on migration and tourism (Tourism Authority and Immigration Bureau of Thailand, Border Service and Federal Agency for Tourism of Russia). The work involves a VK-based survey held in July 2024 among Russian citizens aged 18 and over who have been residing in Thailand for at least two years. The questionnaire contains a total of 19 questions to identify sociodemographic characteristics, features of adaptation and employment, access to social networks and media in Thailand. Results. The 1897 visit of Tsesarevich Nicholas II to Bangkok and establishment of diplomatic relations between Russia and Siam (Thailand) were followed by a variety of messages about the mysterious ‘Land of White Elephants’. As of 1899, the population of Siam (Thailand) was ca. 9 million, including 27 thousand foreigners and only 7 Russians. However, the late nineteenth century witnessed Russia’s active efforts aimed at developing political, trade and economic ties with Siam (Thailand). The 2000s relations renaissance has been largely manifested through the phenomenon of tourism and migration. According to the Tourism Authority of Thailand, about 1.5 million Russians visited the country in 2023, which ranks Russia fifth after Malaysia, China, South Korea and India. So, the 2023 tourist flow from the Russian Federation to Thailand did exceed the pre-pandemic levels. Russian and Chinese citizens have become major real estate buyers in Thailand (with utmost demand for villas in Phuket). Temporary or permanent Russian residents tend to develop objects of ‘Russian-speaking economy’, produce jobs for locals, and pay taxes.
Demography of Pandemics in Governorate of Livonia during Late Imperial Period
Sergey V. Ryazantsev, , Alexey V. Smirnov, and
Vestnik Sankt Peterburgskogo Universiteta Istoriya, 2024
Infectious disease pandemics that broke out in the territory of the Russian Empire in the 19th century were large-scale phenomena with significant demographic consequences. The aim of the study was to assess the demographic and socio-economic consequences of the Russian influenza pandemic and the fifth cholera pandemic in Livonia. The research is based on the pre-revolutionary periodicals. Influenza caused a disease outbreak in Livonia in November 1889. In December, the population, mostly over 35 years old, began to suffer from pneumonia, which often led to death. A statistical assessment of monthly excess mortality in 1889 showed an increase of 8 % in November and 67 % in December. Influenza also had an effect on fertility: the birth rate in September 1890 (conception in December 1889) was the lowest compared to the period between 1888 and 1895. Influenza affected members of all classes. By the time of the outbreak of the fifth cholera pandemic, the cholera agent and modes of transmission were known. Cholera was a disease of the poor. Migrant labourers and the lower classes of the population were predominantly affected. There was a lower likelihood of the educated population living in satisfactory conditions and following the advice of doctors of contracting it. In October 1893, cholera riots occurred in Tartu, demonstrating the population’s misunderstanding of the purpose of sanitary measures. The rioters did not understand why “gentlemen” did not get cholera. Cholera had an impact on the mortality and marriage rate of the population. However, cholera in Livonia became a controlled disease and had a positive impact on the sanitary habits of the population, and the sanitary and epidemiological development of the cities.
The Demographic, Social, and Economic Aftermath of the Cholera Epidemic in Astrakhan in 1892
Sergey Ryazantsev, А В Смирнов, Nikita Ryazantsev, Afanasyeva, A Afanasyeva, et al.
Bylye Gody, 2023
Astrakhan, due to its location, was always considered to be a gateway of cholera to the Russian Empire.The aim of the following study is to assess demographic, social, and economic aftermath of the cholera epidemic, occured in Astrakhan in 1892, maintaining historical and demographic methods of press analysis as a source, with an assessment of the demographic aftermath provided by the eyewitnesses of that accident.The sources for the study were materials from pre-revolutionary sources.Contact analysis of the press to reveal the demographic estimations of eyewitnesses of the incident, i.e. experts of that time (medical workers, town governors, civil servants, military officers) in relation to the peculiarities of the epidemic development, as well as their subjective estimation of the demographic, social, and economic aftermath of the cholera epidemic were used.The 5 th cholera epidemic in Russia lasted within 1892-1894.The 1 st wave was the deadliest.In 1892, mainly from May to November, more than 620 thsd people were infected and 300 thsd of them died.In 1893, there were infected 103 thsd people and 43 thsd people died.In 1894, the epidemic occured on a smaller scale.By 1892, cholera caused 13 epidemics in Astrakhan.In 1892, cholera, causing an outbreak of morbidity in the Transcaspian region, ended up in Baku.The deterioration of the epidemiological situation in Astrakhan was facilitated by the mass departure of Baku residents on overcrowded ships, despite the denial by the authorities of the city of Baku of the presence of cholera.After the introduction of quarantine measures in Astrakhan, rumors arose among the population that in cholera hospitals, living people are put in coffins, sprinkled with lime, and buried.During the riots, medical personnel were killed, a cholera hospital was burned, and the infected were sent home.After the riots, there was a sharp increase in morbidity.From the 14 th of June to the 20 th of September, 1892, in Astrakhan, more than 3 per cent of the city's population died from cholera, and for 10 thsd residents there were 480 cases and 316 deaths.This was the demographic maximum for the cholera epidemic of 1892.The assessment of excess mortality showed an increase in mortality by 278 per cent in June and by 555 per cent in July compared to these months in 1888-1894.Of all those admitted to the hospital in Astrakhan, about 73 per cent were laborers who were living in hostels (shelters); about 5 per cent were workers on ships, steamships, and barges; 12 per cent are artisans.The social composition by estates was the following: 1983 peasants, 316 soldiers, 262 burghers, 12 Cossacks (kazaks), 8 nobles, and 5 church servants.Natives of Astrakhan and the province accounted for about 11 per cent of cases, 89 per cent were seasonal migrants.Due to supermortality, many children were orphaned.The budget expenditures of Astrakhan to combat the epidemic amounted to 142 thsd rubles, including 33 thsd rubles went to the maintenance of troops who arrived to suppress the cholera riot.The cholera epidemic had a positive sanitary condition of cities, formed new habits of the population in terms of personal hygiene.
Emigration from the Russian Empire to Brazil in the late XIX and early XX сenturies
Sergey Ryazantsev, А В Смирнов, O. Menezes Mario, Serra Truzzi, Svetlana Ruseishvili, et al.
Bylye Gody, 2023
Brazil in the second half of the 19 th century, with large areas of unpopulated land and experiencing a shortage of workers, began to actively attract the population of European countries to settle its territory.At the end of the 19 th century, a significant number of immigrants came from the Russian Empire, represented by various ethnic and religious groups.The aim of the article is to analyze the scale, ethnic and socio-demographic structure of the migration flow from the Russian Empire to Brazil in the late 19 th -early 20 th centuries.Materials of the pre-revolutionary sources of the end 19 th -beginning 20 th centuries, first, periodicals served as the base of the study.Emigration was caused by external and internal reasons.External causes included: Brazil's immigration policy of attracting labor with the provision of free travel, incentive payments to steamship companies, and the work of emigration agents.Internal causes: unfavorable economic situation, famine caused by crop failures in 1889 and 1891; presence of many landless and land-poor peasants; low wages.Emigration from the Russian Empire began in 1870-1880, reaching its peak in 1891 with 109,000 people.The migration flow from Russia to Brazil was represented mainly by Poles, Jews, and Germans (mostly Mennonites).It was mainly the population of the Prislinna and southern provinces who left.Ethnic Russians and Orthodox until the early 20 th century predominantly participated in the processes of internal migration, moving to the east of the country.The absence of Russian and Orthodox populations in the migration flows was due to a lack of information about the opportunities open to migrants in the New World.
Was the Bukhara Epidemic the Onset of the 1889–1890 “Russian Flu” Pandemic? (Socio-Demographic Study)
Sergey Ryazantsev, А В Смирнов, ;, ;, ;, et al.
Bylye Gody, 2023
It is believed that the virus that caused the 1889-1890 "Russian flu" pandemic originated in the capital of the Bukhara emirate in May 1889.This article is about the Bukhara epidemic.The purpose of the article is to analyze the Bukhara epidemic and its causes and to answer the question: was the disease in Bukhara really caused by an influenza virus.The study is based on pre-revolutionary sources of the late 19th century, including periodicals containing information about the epidemic.The literature on the "Russian flu" pandemic provides evidence that the virus originated in May 1889 in Bukhara.It was first described by a witness of the Bukhara epidemic, doctor O.F. Heyfelder.From the second half of May until the beginning of August 1889, a great part of Bukhara's population fell ill with a fever.About 7,000 people died.The lethality of the Bukhara epidemic was at least 5 %, and the lethality of the "Russian flu" was 35 times less: 0.2 %.The incubation period for the Bukhara fever was 1-2 weeks, while for influenza it was 1-3 days.The characteristic symptoms of the "Russian flu" -cough and complications in the form of pneumoniawere absent in Bukhara's patients.Given the population migration along the Trans-Caspian railway and the virus contagiousness, influenza would have come to the cities located near Bukhara as early as in summer.But in Tashkent, Baku, Vladikavkaz, influenza emerges at the end of November 1889.The poor sanitary conditions in the city, snowy and cold winter contributed to the development of the epidemic.The heat that came in April provoked a rapid melting of snow, which resulted in very high water levels in reservoirs and the soil.The heat and plenty of water created favorable conditions for the reproduction of Anopheles mosquitoes, vectors of malaria.At the end of August 1889, a commission of 4 doctors came to the conclusion that the cause of the Bukhara epidemic was malaria.Malaria was endemic for Bukhara.Presumably, the Bukhara epidemic could be caused by P. falciparum, the causative agent of tropical malaria.Heyfelder came to the conclusion that the Bukhara epidemic and the influenza epidemic in the Russian Empire were identical diseases.Cough, sore throat, complications in the respiratory system, according to Heyfelder, were characteristic of influenza in northern latitudes only.The Bukhara epidemic was rather due to malaria presumably caused by P. falciparum than due to an influenza virus.
Occurrence, Spread, Demographic Losses
Siberian Historical Research, 2023
The History of Migration from the Russian Empire to Argentina at the end of the 19th – beginning of the 20th centuries
Sergey Ryazantsev, А В Смирнов, Nikita Ryazantsev, ; -, ; Micheletti, et al.
Bylye Gody, 2023
According to censuses, Argentina's population quadrupled over fifty years due to migration: 1.8 million in 1869 and 7.8 million in 1914 .Between 1857 and 1914, 4, 4.6 million migrants entered Argentina.Taking into account the departure of 1.6 million people, 3 million people "settled" in the country, adding to the Argentine population.The proportion of foreigners in Argentine society was also rising: 8 per cent in 1869 and 30 per cent in 1914.Research objective: to assess the socio-demographic characteristics of the migration flow from the Russian Empire during the "pioneering" stage of the settlement of Argentina.Method of historicaldemographic analysis of Russian migration in the context of other ethnic migration waves was used.Migrants from the Russian Empire ranked fourth among the foreigners who entered the country.Argentine census data from 1914 showed that migrants from the Russian Empire made up 1 per cent of the population, contributing to the economy.Migration from the Russian Empire to Argentina included three major ethnic waves: German, Jewish, and Polish-Lithuanian.The German-Mennonites came with capital and contributed to the development of agriculture.The Jewish wave of immigration to Argentina developed with the support of Baron Hirsch and the Jewish Colonisation Society.The migration of the inhabitants of the western border regions of the Russian Empire was represented by Jews, Poles, Lithuanians and Finns.The share of Russian (Orthodox) population among Russian migrants was insignificant, but has been steadily increasing since the beginning of the 20th century.Argentina's migration policy was open to foreigners, including Russian nationals.The integration of Russian immigrants into Argentine society proceeded rather quickly and successfully.The migration from the Russian Empire to Argentina was multinational.Among the natives of Russia were Jews, Germans, Poles and Lithuanians, while the proportion of ethnic Russians was insignificant.
Ethnic Russian Inflows to the Territory of Uryankhay Krai: Glimpses of History
Sergey V. Ryazantsev, , Alexey V. Smirnov, and
Oriental Studies, 2022
Introduction. The article deals with the Russian colonization of Uryankhay Krai (present-day Tyva Republic) prior to the establishment of Russian protectorate. Goals. The paper aims at analyzing migration flows to have accompanied the peopling of Uryankhay Krai. Materials and methods. The source base for the study was a wide range of materials, among which a significant proportion is occupied by pre-revolutionary publications, including periodicals (Siberia, Minusinsk Territory, Minusinsk Leaf, Yenisei Thought, Krasnoyarsk Voice, etc.), containing information on the topic under study. The methodological basis of the article was the general scientific principle and methods of scientific knowledge. Data on the demographic composition of migrants are limited. Results. A total of three Russian population inflows — gold mining, agricultural, and commercial ones — can be traced. Earliest messages about gold mining in Uryankhay date back to 1837 when Russians started exploiting gold mines in upper reaches of the Sistikema River. Tuvans worked in the mines, panned for gold. By the 1910s, there were 15 operating mines in Uryankhay. Gold mining was hindered not only by roadless terrain but also by the 1903 decree obliging Russian gold miners to leave their mines upon receipt of any restrictive resolution from the Chinese Government. Those were Old Believers who had arrived in Uryankhay earliest (around the 1860s) in search of Belevodye kingdom. Those were first Russians to have started cultivating land in the region. Periodicals were depicting Tuvan-inhabited lands as fertile, and after the expulsion of the Chinese a campaign popularizing ‘rich soils’ was organized among Minusinsk peasants and across territories adjacent to the Siberian railway. By 1914, over 3,000 dessiatins were occupied by Russian crops. Earliest merchants to have arrived in region were delivering ‘goods in their bosom’ exchanging knives, matches, tobacco and other commodities for livestock and furs. The bulk of Russians moved to Uryankhay from nearest provinces and the migration could be characterized as replacement one: bordering peasants suffering from lack of plough-land and aware of Uryankhay’s resources chose to move therein to be replaced by migrant Minusinsk peasants. Ethnic and social structure of immigrants from Russia was not that homogeneous. So, representatives of different ethnic groups — Russians, Tatars, Khakas, Latvians, Poles — came from different social classes, e.g., merchants, Cossacks, peasants. This attests to a high migration mobility in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. As of the establishment of Russian protectorate in 1914, over 5,5 thousand Russians were living in the region. Conclusions. Russian colonization — from the arrival of Old Believers and to the official protectorate of Russia — was complete in less than 60 years. The rapid and successful process was facilitated by a number of factors, namely: geographical location, lack of an exact borderline between the two countries, China’s political situation, and economic opportunities for Russian population in the region.
The Impact of Social Intelligence on the Adaptation of Migrant Workers in the Context of the Covid-19 Pandemic
Sergey V. Ryazantsev, , Elena Y. Pismennaya, Alexey V. Smirnov, , , , and
Sibirskiy Psikhologicheskiy Zhurnal, 2022
The COVID-19 pandemic that has taken over the world has affected all areas of human life. Labor migrants turned out to be one of the most vulnerable social groups before the pandemic. Russia is currently in a state of depopulation - migrants are strategically needed for the country: both as a labor force and as future citizens of the country. The 21st century is called the century of social intelligence, since there is more and more data on the importance of this type of intelligence in sociocultural reality. One of the features of social intelligence is the ability to adapt, correctly evaluate and adequately respond to new life situations. The aim of this work was to assess the impact of social intelligence on the adaptation of labor migrants from Central Asian countries in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result of the study, the following patterns were found: the higher the level of social intelligence, the less often respondents lost their jobs during the pandemic; were more likely to maintain or increase their income levels; more often transferred money to their homeland; there were fewer conflicts in the immediate environment of the migrant. During the pandemic, migrant phobia among the local population increased in Russia, but respondents with average and above average social intelligence did not notice a change in the attitude of local residents towards themselves. The results obtained prove that labor migrants with average and above average social intelligence are better adapted to the conditions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic than migrants with below average social intelligence.
The social demographic aspects of vaccination of population of Russia in the context of COVID-19 pandemic
S. V. Ryazantsev, , M. N. Khramova, A. V. Smirnov, , and
Problemy Sotsial Noi Gigieny Zdravookhraneniia I Istorii Meditsiny, 2021
The pandemic of the new corona-virus infection COVID-19 will be over only when population immunity will be developed. This condition can be achieved by both vaccination and surviving disease in natural way. The WHO recommends the first mode for achieving population immunity, since immune response to vaccine is similar to that one developed while surviving natural infection, but with minimal risks to health and life. The article presents the results of sociological survey organized with purpose of studying the attitude of Russians to vaccination against COVID-19 infection. The results of the survey demonstrated that at present, 22% of respondents are ready to be vaccinated i.e. they responded positively to the corresponding question. The following main factors determining population attitude to vaccination were identified. First, there is statistically significant correlation between vaccination readiness and education level: respondents with higher level of education are more likely to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Secondly, in general, the population is quite positive about the response of the National health care to the corona-virus pandemic. However, the percentage of population that is positive about vaccination can be higher if it would be possible to apply foreign-made vaccines in Russia. Thirdly, still there is large percentage of population believing that vaccination with medications that have not passed long-term clinical trials can result in health negative consequences. Fourthly, the majority of respondents experienced various manifestations of the pandemic on themselves: either they have been ill themselves, or their relatives and friends were ill or died and almost all of them somehow limited their common mobility.The survey results did not established statistically significant differences in distribution of responses among males and females. We assume that in order to develop positive attitude of population to vaccination, and specifically to Russian-made vaccines, more extensive information campaign is needed to be implemented. Also, significant increase of percentage of vaccinated population can be achieved if clearly defined requirements for availability of COVID-19 vaccination would be adopted on the international level. Actually, this is key condition for restoring international mobility and removing restrictions in national economies.
The preconditions of occurrence and social demographic consequences of pandemics
S. V. Ryazantsev, , A. V. Smirnov, , and
Problemy Sotsial Noi Gigieny Zdravookhraneniia I Istorii Meditsiny, 2021
The impact of the covid-19 pandemic on the position of labor migrants from central asia in russia
S. Ryazantsev, Zafar K. Vazirov, M. Khramova, A. Smirnov
Central Asia and the Caucasus, 2020