The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) Border Service has released its latest data on foreign arrivals into the country for the first half of 2026.
According to the report, international arrivals to Russia totaled 7.1 million during the first two quarters of 2026, marking a decline from the 7.8 million visits recorded during the same period in 2025.
Uzbekistan topped the list of the top 10 nations sending travelers to Russia, accounting for 1.613 million arrivals—down from 1.825 million last year. Kazakhstan, China, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan rounded out the top five, followed by Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Turkey, and Mongolia.
Tourism accounted for 676,400 arrivals between January and June. The vast majority of these leisure travelers came from China (380,500 visits), Turkmenistan (46,000), Turkey (36,900), and Saudi Arabia (20,600).
Meanwhile, 2.4 million foreign nationals declared employment as their primary purpose of entry. The workforce influx was predominantly driven by citizens of Uzbekistan (1.1 million), Tajikistan (494,000), and Kyrgyzstan (289,000).
Educational enrollment drew 202,000 arrivals, led by students from Kazakhstan (47,000), China (42,000), and Uzbekistan (26,000).
Additionally, 2.3 million entries were categorized as private travel. Kazakhstan nationals led this segment with 850,000 visits, followed by Uzbekistan (263,000) and Abkhazia (225,000).
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