Although international borders are widely recognised as barriers to migration, evidence of a comparable effect at internal administrative boundaries remains limited. This study assesses the barrier effect of regional boundaries on long-term internal migration in Russia and examines the factors that may explain it. The study draws on anonymised individual-level data on internal migrants for 2011—2020, enabling an analysis of migration links between settlements. It compares intra- and interregional migration links across 165 settlement pairs in different parts of Russia. Settlement pairs were selected to maximise comparability in terms of population size and the distance between settlements. This approach provides a basis for assessing the barrier effect of regional boundaries through differen­ces in migration intensity while accounting for these two key characteristics. The results show that intraregional migration intensity is 3.5 times that of interregional migration. Regional boundaries consistently act as barriers to migration, although the magnitude of this effect varies with the relative attractiveness of neighbouring regions to migrants, differences in their ethnic composition, and the strong pull of particular centres. The effect also depends on the location of settlements relative to regional capitals and other local migration destinations.

Widening spatial disparities in Russia and the persistent gap between capital regions and the largest non-capital regions have made preserving the latter’s human capital a priority for spatial development. This study aims to assess differences in labour potential among Russian regions whose administrative centres have populations exceeding one million. The methodology involves calculating a set of relative indices to compare regional indicators with those for the Moscow metropolitan region and Russia as a whole, in both absolute and normalised terms. The analysis covers 2010—2023 and examines population size, the total wage fund, gross regional product, the number of researchers and university students, and rates of natural increase and net migration. The results reveal widening spatial disparities: all the regions examined have become less competitive relative to the Moscow metropolitan region. Nevertheless, some retain a degree of competitiveness through three mechanisms: integration into smart specialisation networks, the use of natural resource rents, and the capitalisation of environmental amenities that shape their attractiveness to migrants. The research and higher education component of labour potential is the most resistant to decline. A common structural constraint is the combination of heavy workloads and relatively low wages, which reinforces the process of cumulative causation.