Paper short abstract:

Kyrgyzstan remains one of the most migration dependent regions in the world. Many migrants in Russia faced difficulties during COVID-19, Kyrgyz migrants from Kara-Kulja in particular helped each other in different ways, depending on themigrants' needs.

Paper long abstract:

Kyrgyzstan remains one of the most migration dependent regions in the world. It is nosurprise then that when borders closed and lockdowns came into place in the wake of Covid-19, this part of the world was struck particularly hard. During the pandemic, migrants from Kyrgyzstan as well as from other Central Asian countries were frequently in the news. Withmany migrants unable to work during lockdowns or not able to travel to Russia, remittances plummeted before rapidly recovering as migration restarted.However, despite the difficulties many migrants in Russia faced during COVID-19, Kyrgyz migrants from Kara-Kulja in particular helped each other in different ways, depending on themigrants' needs. For example, the translocal lineage community worked on a volunteer basis. Among the Kyrgyz, the formation of such a translation lineage based- community is based onmutual support, unity, care and solidarity, that goes beyond their current place but extends asfar as their own villages in Kyrgyzstan. Initially, migrants had to survive on their own, but when it came to helping each other in bad times or transferring a deceased person to Kyrgyzstan, community members had to learn to mobilise quickly as there was no alternative.The formation of such a community is based on trust, lineage identity, and reciprocity.However, money gives life to group solidarity