The court of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) is considering a complaint brought by Kyrgyzstan against Russia, alleging that Moscow is violating an EAEU agreement by denying Kyrgyz labor migrants access to health insurance.

During a January 27 parliamentary committee hearing in Bishkek, Azamat Mukanov, chairman of Kyrgyzstan’s Compulsory Medical Insurance Fund, told lawmakers that Russia was not complying with provisions in a 2021 EAEU agreement “On Pension and Social Security,” adding that the court was expected to issue a ruling on the complaint in early February.

Kyrgyzstan initiated the case last May. The most recent hearing occurred January 20.

Russia adopted legislation in late 2025 tightening the country’s labor migration regulatory framework. Included in the packet of changes was an amendment stipulating that foreigners need to reside in Russia for five years to gain eligibility for state-paid health insurance coverage. Kyrgyzstan, in its EAEU complaint, contends that a citizen of any individual member state should receive automatic and immediate health coverage, if residing legally on the territory of any other member state.

The number of Kyrgyz labor migrants heading to Russia in search of work has plummeted in recent years, following the Kremlin’s failed and unprovoked blitz on Ukraine and a rise of anti-foreigner sentiment among Russians. Roughly 600,000 Kyrgyz guest workers were registered in Russia in 2023, but the number fell to about 350,000 at the outset of 2025.

The outcome has the potential to be a landmark ruling on the free movement of labor within the EAEU, which is widely seen as dominated by Russia. The EAEU court comprises two judges from each member state. Its decisions are supposed to be binding but can be appealed to the court’s Appeals Chamber.

The EAEU has five full member states: Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. If a ruling is decided along political lines, Kyrgyzstan might potentially receive support from Armenian judges, given Yerevan’s ambivalent stance towards Russia. Meanwhile, Russian and Belarussian judges will likely align to support the Kremlin stance. That possibly leaves Kazakhstan, a Central Asian neighbor to Kyrgyzstan but also a country that does not have a high labor-migrant population, as having the swing votes in the case.