Russia is the second country in the world based on the number of migrants it absorbs. Today, the majority of migrants coming to Russia are citizens of Central Asian countries, in particular Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. While the demographic picture and the state of the economy are such that Russia desperately needs migrants, the attitude of the public is far from welcoming. Public polls and rise in the ethnically motivated violence point to the rise of xenophobia and racism in Russia. The aim of this paper is to examine how medias presentation of the topic of labour migrants from Central Asian countries fits into Russias dilemma between the need for migrants and growing ethnic tension in its society. The research is placed within the framing theory, as the author aims to identity the frames used in the coverage of the topic of labour migration from Central Asia. To do so, articles from three Russian newspapers are selected in the period from November 2010 to December 2013. Prior to the presentation of the research results, the author provides an insight into migration trends and the development of migration policy in Russia. The author also discusses the attitudes that Russian society holds towards migrants as well as the state of the Russian media. The author identities 5 different frames that appear in the media coverage with regards to the topic of labour migration from Central Asia to Russia. Furthermore, combining the analysis conducted on the secondary literature with the analysis of the selected articles, the author concludes that presentation of this group in the media is negative. Finally, the author`s research shows that the dominant image of a migrant from Central Asia is as low skilled, low paid, illegal migrant with “dark-skin” and no respect towards the way of life in Russia.

Russia is the second country in the world based on the number of migrants it absorbs. Today, the majority of migrants coming to Russia are citizens of Central Asian countries, in particular Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. While the demographic picture and the state of the economy are such that Russia desperately needs migrants, the attitude of the public is far from welcoming. Public polls and rise in the ethnically motivated violence point to the rise of xenophobia and racism in Russia. The aim of this paper is to examine how medias presentation of the topic of labour migrants from Central Asian countries fits into Russias dilemma between the need for migrants and growing ethnic tension in its society. The research is placed within the framing theory, as the author aims to identity the frames used in the coverage of the topic of labour migration from Central Asia. To do so, articles from three Russian newspapers are selected in the period from November 2010 to December 2013. Prior to the presentation of the research results, the author provides an insight into migration trends and the development of migration policy in Russia. The author also discusses the attitudes that Russian society holds towards migrants as well as the state of the Russian media. The author identities 5 different frames that appear in the media coverage with regards to the topic of labour migration from Central Asia to Russia. Furthermore, combining the analysis conducted on the secondary literature with the analysis of the selected articles, the author concludes that presentation of this group in the media is negative. Finally, the author`s research shows that the dominant image of a migrant from Central Asia is as low skilled, low paid, illegal migrant with “dark-skin” and no respect towards the way of life in Russia.