The fact that restrictions still continue on immigration to Moscow is a sign that the gap between Moscow and the rest of the country persists, indeed has widened. I also note that these restrictions are illegal under the current system and have been officially declared to be illegal. However, that has not led to them being dismantled. Barkley Rosser ---- Moscow has a special status due to its status as the capital city. Keeping restrictions in place is one of Mayor Luzhkov's more popular moves.
Yes, the Moscow/genions gap is immense. Living standards in Moscow are literally something like 5 times the Russian average (Russia is a country where per capita regional GDP differences can vary by a factor of 30). This results of course in a huge brain drain from the regions to Moscow, and to a lesser extent Peter, which is very bad for the regions.
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