ArmInfo. Almost half of the Molokans living in Armenia left the country for the last ten years. This is evidenced by the data of the National Statistical Service of Armenia. If in 2007 5 thousand Molokans lived in Armenia, today in the republic there are 2872 Russians of Molokan religion.
"The social and economic difficulties and the implementation in Armenia of the State program for the return of compatriots to Russia are the main reasons for such emigration of Molokans," said Vardan Asatryan, head of the department of national minorities and religion of the Government of Armenia. "The fact is that among other things, Molokans, based on their religious concepts, never turn to the government for any help. They mostly live in their closed community, and do not use programs aimed at organizing the cultural and educational development of national minorities," he said in an interview with ArmInfo correspondent. According to him, periodically, every two years, the specialists of the department are sent to Molokan villages, get acquainted with the problems on the spot, and provide them with information about their rights. After the collapse of the USSR (in the early 1990s there were about 25,000 Molokans living in Armenia), out of 14 existing Molokan villages in Armenia, only two remained today - Lermontovo and Fioletovo. A number of Molokans live in cities and the capital of Armenia.
Chairman of the Molokan village of Fioletovo Alexei Novikov, notes that "over the past three years, according to the program of resettlement of compatriots, about 400 emigrants fled to Russia." "Formally, we have 1400 people, but actually 1275, and maybe even less. Less than half of this number in neighboring Lermontov. Who left the country permanently to Stavropol, Krasnodar, Penza, and who moved to Yerevan, where there are more real opportunities for employment," notes Novikov.
Distinguished by their diligence, the Molokans today have difficulties in selling their own agricultural production - milk, cabbage, potatoes, and pickles. "Low prices for agricultural products have led to the fact that Molokans prefer not to take milk to the reception points of dairies, but sell on the market at a more favorable price. So the reception points, depending on the fat content of milk, are given for a liter of 100- 120 drams (about 21-25 US cents), and in the market for the same amount you can earn twice as much. The same is true about sauerkraut. If earlier we almost all crop of cabbage and cucumbers sent on the starter, now people prefer to sell to the wholesalers raw products. And, unfortunately, that is why in the country's markets ever less you can meet once so popular "Molokan cabbage", cask cucumbers, soaked apples," says Novikov.
According to Asatryan, it is possible to solve the problems with emigration of Molokans, as well as in the whole country, in the case of drawing up and implementing an effective state program on demographic development, which is not even available in the plans. The existing free-of-charge delivery program, in his opinion, is not sufficient to combat the decline in the population, including representatives of national and religious minorities.