At an odd jobs market in the capital of Tajikistan, the crowds of desperate men hoping to land work are growing. If Tajikistan’s key economic partner, Russia, had not sealed its border in March to slow the spread of the coronavirus, many of the men would be seeking work there. Instead they are trapped in the poorest country to emerge from the Soviet collapse, where money sent home by migrants — mostly from Russia — normally makes up 30 percent of gross domestic product.
