According to the results of the 1989 census the Russians made 86.7 per cent of the Territory population to exclude Adygei (4 million 6.8 thousand), the Ukrainians — 3.9 per cent (182.1 thousand), the Armenians — 3.7 per cent (172.2 thousand), the Byelorussians — 0.75 per cent (34,7 thousand), the Germans — 0.65 per cent (29.9 thousand), the Greeks — 061 per cent (28.3 thousand), the Adygeis — 0.46 per cent (21.2 thousand).³ Due to the migration process in the years to follow the specific weight of the Greeks, the Crimean Tartars, the Germans and the Jews in the structure of the population has considerably decreased meanwhile the Armenian portion has increased a little, and besides the number of such groups as the Assyrians, the Kurds, the Turks and alike has grown.

The balance of the external migration to the Territory was positive even before the perestroyka. The migration inflow caused by political and socio-economic cataclysms considerably increased from the late 1980’s. In 1980–1983 the population of the Territory (to include Adygei) grew at the expense of the migrants by 76 890 people, in 1984 — 1987 — by 119 708 people, in 1988–1991 — by 203 878 people (to exclude Adygei).⁴ The mechanical growth constituted 30 650 people in 1988, 95 800 people in 1994.⁵ For a number of reasons among which favourable natural and climatic conditions, the developed infrastructure, relative political stability were not the least, the Territory looked attractive for different categories of migrants from various regions of the former USSR. The inter-regional migration within the RF constitutes the main source (about 66 per cent in 1994) of the mechanical influx of population; 48 per cent in this category include migrants from Siberia, the Far East and the Upper North, 19 per cent — from the Northern Caucasus. One third of the total number of migrants falls on the Republics of the former USSR. In the second half of 1994 the largest inflows to the Territory (in the downstream order) came from Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Georgia, Uzbekistan and Armenia. The representatives of the East Slavic peoples (87.39 per cent) and the Armenians (7.74 per cent) have prevailed in the ethnic structure of the migrants from the «near abroad».⁶

Significant numbers of forced migrants arrived to KK from Transcaucasia, Central Asia, the Northern Causasus, Moldova. First forced migrants arrived to the Territory in 1988 from Transcaucasia: the people who had left the earthquake zone in Armenia and fled from ethnical conflicts (the Armenians from Azerbaijan, the Azerbaijanians, the Kurds and the Assyrians from Armenia). Later on they were joined by other inflows and groups including the Turks–Meskhetians from Central Asia.

According to the data of the above cited information of the passport department of the Regional UVD’s PVS as of October 1, 1994, the number of «migrants who have arrived to the Territory to stay for ethnical reasons» (that is, actual refugees and migrants) totalled 184 125 people, of whom 111 630 (60.6 per cent) were the Russian speaking people, 45 547 (24.7 per cent) — the Armenians, 2536 (1.4 per cent) the Azerbaijanians, 1961 (1.0 per cent) — the Kurds, 13 340 (7.2 per cent) — the Turks, 551 (0.3 per cent) — the Assyrians. The remaining 4.8 per cent fell mainly on the Abkhazians and the Georgians — refugees from Abkhazia.

From the middle of 1989 and up till now the authorities of the Territory have been considering the inflow of people, especially those of the «non-Slavic» nationalities according to the terminology accepted in the Kuban region, as a negative factor deteriorating the socio-economic situation and fraught with ethnical conflicts. Accordingly, the reaction of the territorial authorities on the inflow of the migrants has been generally limited to various restrictive measures based on the institution of mandatory residence permit and complicating the settling of the newcomers and their adaptation in the Territory as well as measures to control temporary stay of the entrants. In general this policy is supported, on the one hand, by the Central authorities (although some illegal decisions made by the KKSND were protested by the USSR Prosecutor General’s Office), and, on the other hand, by a significant part of the local population.

The limitations on issuing permits to stay in the health-resort zone and a number of the adjoining areas (to include Krymsk and Abinsk Regions) were enacted by Decree of the USSR Council of Ministers no.1476 of 24.12.87. On August 26, 1989, the 10th session of the KKSND of the 20th convocation adopted the Resolution «On Specific Features of the Current Situation and the Role of the Soviets of the People’s Deputies in Uniting the Working People of the Territory for Solving Urgent Socio-Economic Tasks». In particular, this document (paragraph 49 of the «Measures for 1989–1991"⁷) suspended till January 1, 1992, permanent residence registration for citizens who arrive to the Territory to stay »in connection with the overpopulation of the Territory, acute housing, food, social, ecological and other problems, tensed inter-ethnical relations". At the same time it was prohibited for the notarial offices and the executive committees of the local Soviets to legalise any housing purchase and sale bargains transacted by citizens without permanent residence. In its Resolution no.148 of 14.04.90 the Executive Committee of the KKSND stated «inadequate implementation of the decisions made by the 10th session on the suspension of issuing permits to stay in the Territory» and required that the MVD organs intensify control on the observation of the passport regime, while the management of local railway departments and other transportation enterprises were instructed to prevent containers and cars with the property of refugees from Central Asia and Transcaucasia from being received and unloaded in the Territory and in case they did arrive to the Territory — to re-address them to the locations they had been originally shipped from or to the locations designated for the settling of the Meskhetians by the Government.

The USSR General Prosecutor’s Office and the RSFSR General Prosecutor’s Office lodged protests against the KKSND Resolution of 26.08.89, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR sent a letter to the Presidium of the KKSND signed by First Vice-President of the Presidium R.I.Khazbulatov requiring the revision of this act. On January 23, 1991, the 3rd session of the KKSND of the 21st convocation left in force the decision of the 10th session concerning restrictions for issuing residence permits in the Territory.⁸

On August 7, 1992, the 9th session of the Territory Soviet of the 21st convocation adopted the Resolution «On Regulation of Migration to Krasnodar Territory» which defined the strategy and the guidelines for the migration policy of the territorial authorities; this document made the residence registration regime even more severe and introduced all principle restrictions being valid up till the present time. It fixed several categories of citizens who could be granted as permitted the right for permanent residence (permanent registration) at the their relatives’,⁹ and prohibited to grant permits to everybody else.¹⁰

Later on the territorial administration adopted a series of acts which consistently toughened the migration regime. Decree of the Territory Administration Chief of 31.08.92 no.400 «On Temporary Procedure for the Registration and Processing of Refugees and Forced Migrants» sharply limited the number of forced migrants admitted from the zones of ethnical conflicts while those who had arrived to the Territory earlier, in particular the Turks–Meskhetians, did not qualify for the category of refugees and for residence registration. In April of 1993 the Resolution of Minor Council of the Territory and Decree of the Territory Administration Chief no.110 of 31.03.93 «On the Procedure for the Residence of Foreign Citizens and On Strengthening Customs Control in Krasnodar Territory» enacted registration for persons from the «near abroad» countries temporarily resident in the Territory. In practice boundary regime was introduced in the Territory.¹¹

Decree of Krasnodar Territory Administration Chief no.494 of 23.12.93 «On Measures for the Regulation the Migration Processes in Krasnodar Territory»¹² iterated and reinforced all restrictive provisions of the Territory Council Resolution of August 7, 1992. Similar were the contents of Decree of the Territory Administration Chief no.222 of 19.04.94 «On Measures for Strengthening Control over Migration Processes in Krasnodar Territory».¹³ In addition to the reproduced description of those limited categories of persons who could be granted the right for permanent residence (permanent registration) and confirmed prohibition to grant residence permits to everybody else the Decree introduced a visa regime for the citizens of the CIS countries arriving to the Territory. On March 3, 1995, Decree of the Territory Administration Chief no.138 «On the Procedure of Granting the Right for Permanent and Temporary Residence in Krasnodar Territory» was adopted which cancelled waivers for permanent residence to those who arrived from the outside of the Territory, introduced mandatory registration of the RF citizens temporarily visiting the Territory and made the migration control maintained by the internal affairs organs tougher.

In 1989–1992 the initiative to resist migration belonged mainly to the territorial authorities. Decrees of the President of the RF no.102 «On Measures for Stabilising the Situation in Krasnodar Territory» of 20.01.93 and no.2145 «On Measures for Introducing Immigration Control» of 16.12.93 as well as Decree no.1019 «On Additional Measures for State Regulation of Migration Processes in Krasnodar Territory» and Decree no.1021 «On Measures for Preventing and Reducing the Uncontrollable Migration» adopted by the RF Government on September 8, 1994, showed that the Central Authorities began supporting the policy carried out by Krasnodar chiefs. Decree no.1019 authorises restrictive and prohibitive measures adopted in Krasnodar Territory; paragraph 3 of this document gives the authorities the right to deport foreign citizens and persons without citizenship «unlawfully staying in Krasnodar Territory».¹⁴ The Territory Administration officials consider the above mentioned Decree and the Council of Ministers’ Decree as sufficient formal sanctions that make the prohibitive measures adopted in Krasnodar Territory legal.¹⁵

On June 7, 1995, the Territory Legislative Assembly adopted Law no.9-КЗ «On the Procedure for Registering Stay and Residence in Krasnodar Territory» signed by GAKK Ye.М. Kharitonov on June 23. The law reproduces in general the provisions of GAKK Decree no.222 and enacts new restrictions. In particular, the law requires registration of the RF citizens temporarily visiting the Territory, the residential qualification has been increased from 5 to 10 years for those permanent residents of the Territory who have the right to have their immediate relatives registered in their housing etc. On July 6, 1995, the law was published and, thus, officially came into force.¹⁶ Its implementation mechanism was specified by GAKK Decree no.438 of 7.08.95.