‘Unlawfully deported’ Police crack down on Russia’s migrant community after Central Asian suspects arrested for Moscow terrorist attack

Just days after four Tajikistani citizens were arrested in connection with the recent terrorist attack at a Moscow concert venue, police began carrying out an increased number of raids on Russia’s migrant communities. Russian courts have already deported hundreds of Central Asian citizens, according to human rights activists, who also describe indiscriminate arrests and beatings. With what appears to be Russia’s largest anti-migrant crackdown in over a decade ongoing, many Tajiks are reportedly fleeing the country out of fear for their safety.

After the four suspected gunmen in the terrorist attack at Moscow’s Crocus City Hall were identified as Tajikistani citizens, Russian law enforcement intensified raids on migrants’ homes and workplaces. Russian security forces have already arrested thousands of Central Asian migrants, hundreds of whom were subsequently deported, human rights activist Valentina Chupik told Agenstvo. These are the largest raids on Russia’s migrant communities since 2013, she noted.

On March 29, the human rights group Department One reported that St. Petersburg police were conducting a large-scale operation called “Anti-Migrant.” City courts ordered the deportation of 466 people. The following day, Moscow police raided locations in the city and surrounding region, according to Agenstvo. In Belgorod, officers raided a mosque, while in Samara, police went to 2,080 locations, after which 105 people were deported.

The increase in arrests is also reflected in Moscow court data, which shows an uptick in cases related to violations of Russian entry regulations, reported BBC News Russian. A lawyer who works with clients from Tajikistan told the publication that “police are scooping up almost all migrants on the street, especially if they have Tajik passports.”

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“Thousands of people are unlawfully detained, hundreds have been unlawfully deported, hundreds have been beaten by the police,” Chupik similarly told Agenstvo. According to her, law enforcement is indiscriminate in whom they arrest.

Chupik said the largest number of reported raids are in the Moscow region, Moscow city, Yekaterinburg, St. Petersburg, and the Samara region. “The police are trying to pretend that they are actively fighting ethnic crime and preventing terrorist attacks,” she told CNN. “Actually, they’re robbing migrants. I have dozens of complaints about migrants being stopped by police, and [then the police] have stolen whatever they like.”

Tajikistan’s deputy minister of labor, Shahnoza Nodiri, said that many Tajikistani citizens are looking to leave Russia: “We get a lot of calls. These are probably not so much complaints about persecution; our citizens are afraid and panicking, and many want to leave,” she said. According to her, currently, more Tajiks are leaving Russia than entering the country.

On March 27, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he was concerned by divisive rhetoric and statements such as “Russia is only for Russians.” “As soon as we begin to implement these destructive thoughts that everyone else here is a stranger, we will destroy the country,” he said.