Central Asian migrants in Russia beaten and threatened with deportation after Moscow terror attack

After the terrorist attack at the Crocus City Hall concert hall on the outskirts of Moscow, Central Asian migrants coming to Russia face violence, racism and police raids. The Embassy of Tajikistan warned its citizens in Russia over the weekend not to leave their homes unless necessary, the BBC reports.

Four Tajik nationals have been accused of killing 140 people in the attack claimed by the Islamic State jihadist group. Several other suspects, all of Central Asian origin, were arrested.

Anticipating rising tensions in the wake of the Moscow killings, Tajikistan’s embassy in Russia warned its citizens over the weekend not to leave their homes unless necessary.

Russia depends on labor from Central Asia

Migrants from Central Asia make up a sizeable proportion of Russia’s migrant labor population, particularly in the retail, transport and construction sectors.

Many already face high levels of discrimination. They are “often faced with broad societal xenophobia,” Professor Edward Lemon of Texas A&M University told the BBC.

Tajik singer Manizha Sanghin, who represented Russia at Eurovision 2021, condemned the “flagrant atrocity” of the attack in Moscow but warned of the “consequences that will fall on Tajiks and all residents of Central Asia”. He is now a goodwill ambassador for the UN refugee agency.

Migrants from Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan make up a significant part of Russia’s workforce.

About 10.5 million migrants from Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan work in Russia, according to the Russian Interior Ministry. Many other nationalities are not officially registered.

The high numbers are due to a visa-free regime with Russia, which makes it one of the only options for Central Asian migrants seeking economic opportunities they don’t have at home, Professor Lemon explained.

Acts of violence after it was learned that some of the attackers were from Tajikistan

News that the Crocus attackers were Tajik nationals quickly traveled through Russia.

Over the weekend, a business owned by immigrants was set on fire in the Russian Far Eastern city of Blagoveshchensk, while several migrants were beaten in Kaluga, a city southwest of Moscow.

Migrants from Kyrgyzstan were held at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport for two days and locked in a room without food or water, only to be returned home later, while taxi drivers in Moscow reported being asked by customers to confirm that they are not Tajik.

Hours after the terror attack, messages on Telegram messaging chats in the early hours of Saturday betrayed a growing nervousness among Russia’s migrant community.

“A lot of people already don’t like ‘non-Russians,’ and now we have this situation,” wrote one person in a group called “Tajiks in Moscow.”

Worried about the risk of a backlash against the Tajik community, another said: “Please, God, let [atacatorii] to be Ukrainians”.

Migrant communities are targets of police crackdowns

Valentina Chupik, a lawyer who works with migrants, told Russian media that she had received 2,500 reports of “acts of aggression” against migrants in two days after the Moscow attack.

The police broke into the homes of migrants across the country and detained several people. More than 30 cases of torture were also reported following the arrests, Chupik said.

After four days, the lawyer told the BBC that the numbers continued to rise and more Tajiks told her they were thinking of leaving Russia.

“A group of Tajik citizens asked me to provide them with safe accommodation as they are afraid to live in their home,” Ms Chupik said.

The lawyer says discrimination in Russia typically affects migrants “who do not have Slavic facial features” and “most of the humiliation and violence comes from Russian law enforcement rather than ordinary people.”

While Friday’s attack in Moscow exacerbated the situation, migrant communities have long been the target of police crackdowns.

Every year, the Russian authorities carry out large-scale campaigns against migrants, launching dozens of raids on businesses, mosques and gathering places of citizens from Central Asia. Last year’s campaign resulted in the deportation of more than 15,000 migrants.

In January, the Kyrgyz and Uzbek governments asked Russia to investigate a social media video of migrant workers being insulted and humiliated during a raid in Yekaterinburg.

And yet, many Central Asian migrants often have few options and continue to work in Russia. Tajikistan is the poorest country in Central Asia, and half of its gross domestic product (GDP) comes from remittances from the countries where migrants go to work.

That’s why they’re still heading to Russia “despite the many problems,” Professor Lemon said.

What is life like as a migrant in Russia?

And Russia’s complex migration laws mean that even workers who enter legally often end up without the necessary documents.

Living as an undocumented migrant means becoming more susceptible to abuse by employers, poor living conditions and no access to healthcare. It also means a greater risk of detention, which in turn leads to having to pay bribes to the authorities.

Shortly after the Moscow attack, several Russian lawmakers called for tougher migrant laws. One suggested that migrants should be expelled from Russia “for the smallest offence”.

But there is no realistic chance of that happening because Russia depends on migrants from Central Asia. The invasion of Ukraine has left Russia facing a labor shortage at home, and it simply could not afford to lose millions of workers.

But years of tension and xenophobia mean that migrants and their communities in Russia live in a constant state of tension and nervousness.

“Be careful, people,” said one member of a Tajik group on Telegram. “After this, it will definitely be a difficult time for us brothers and sisters.”

Publisher: MI

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