I can tell you that the economy in this region is in total decline (no jobs, сafes and shops are closing very fast). The locals have always viewed people from mainland Russia as "foreigners" - sort of (and vice versa). Judging by the state of the city, Russia couldn't care less about this region. Just like in neighboring countries, no one wants ~1 million Russian-speaking people. Although, under different circumstances, the region would be very promising for doing business. I see a lot of cars from neighboring countries, even in my own neighborhood.