In the article, the current demographic situation that has developed in Russia and can be described as a demographic crisis is analysed. One of its most important characteristics is the negative qualitative changes that occur in the population. Modern information technology contributes a lot to this process. The negative qualitative changes in the population, which have begun in the second half of the 1980s and have increased in present-day Russia, prevent the development of human capital in the country. In addition to that, the authors give their own interpretation of the concept of "human capital". The purpose of the paper is to justify the primacy of the demographic factor in the formation and development of human capital. Migration in the form of a brain drain also has a negative impact on the development of human capital in Russia and its regions. The human development index calculated for the country as a whole and for its regions confirms the above-mentioned. In the paper, the methods of demographic analysis, the demographic indicators and indexes, which can serve to analyse the qualitative characteristics of the population, are utilized. The authors arrive at the conclusion that at the present stage, it is impossible to develop human capital without solving the demographic problems. This is especially true for some regions of Russia. Awareness of this will contribute to the more efficient management of demographic processes, which, in turn, will guarantee the positive development of human capital, strengthening and development of the Russian economy and society as a whole.

The subject-matter of this article is migration from Russia. The study deals with current aspects and new forms of emigration. The goal of this paper is to identify new patterns determining the emigration from Russia. The article views the emigration in a broad sense, including, in addition to classic emigration (i.e. leaving the home country for permanent residence in another country), various categories of return migration (labor migration, shuttle traders, seasonal migration, episodic migration, economic tourism, business migration, education abroad, etc.). With the emergence of these new forms and categories, there is a need to clarify the migration concepts. This analysis is built on a broad historical perspective on emigration, which has been a typical phenomenon for Russia over the last three centuries. The article is based on such economic theories, as the human capital theory, new economic theory of migration, Todaro’s economic theory of migration and other. In this article, a variety of methods are used, including historical analogy, statistical and mathematical approaches, sociological and econometric models. The article analyzes the patterns of modern emigration from Russia. It also considers certain aspects in the legal regulation of migration processes, with a focus on emigrants, including potential emigrants. In conclusion, the article notes the need for the state control of emigration processes. This means not so much the improvement of statistical records for this group of migrants, but rather specific government measures aimed at providing the state support to these categories of migrants in order to prevent the nonreturn migration. In other words, it is not aimed at banning the emigration (a measure, the adverse effects of which were noted as long ago as by Mikhail Lomonosov), but at providing the state support to these categories of migrants in order to prevent the non-return migration. The findings of this research can be used in improving the migration policy implemented, in particular, by the Federal Migration Service of Russia.