Illegal immigration to Russia has been ongoing since the Great Depression. Source countries during that time included Finland, Poland, Sweden and Germany.
There are currently an estimated 4 million illegal immigrants from the former Soviet states in the Russian Federation.
In 2012, the Russian Federal Security Service's Border Service stated there had been an increase in illegal migration from former Soviet states, such as Georgia, Ukraine and Moldova. Under legal changes made in 2012, illegal immigrants who are caught will be banned from reentering the country for ten years.
The problem has become so severe it has caused a rise in Russian nationalism, and spawned groups like Movement Against Illegal Immigration, which was banned by the Moscow City Court in 2011 on the grounds that it "ignites inter-ethnic hatred."