The collapse of the Soviet Union provoked a number of similar specific socio-economic problems in the former Soviet republics (we excluded Central Asia and Azerbaijan from the analysis). One of these problems was the qualitative and quantitative deterioration of the demographic situation. Brain drain, mass emigration of youth and uncontrolled urbanization have had a very negative impact on economic development provoking structural and spatial disproportion of the national economy. The example of Lithuania which is on the verge of a demographic catastrophe dictates the directions for improving the Russian migration policy.