Russia’s migrants and ethnic minorities shiver at new Putin terror crackdown
After deadly Moscow terror attack, authorities have targeted vulnerable scapegoats.
President Vladimir Putin’s failure to halt a lethal terror attack by Tajik militants in Moscow last month has had some crushing side effects for Russia’s immigrants and ethnic minorities.
While the Kremlin has internationally pinned the blame on Ukraine, the U.S. and Britain for the terror attack, domestically it has found more vulnerable scapegoats, intensifying a crackdown on migrants, central Asians and non-white Russians.
Since the Crocus City Hall attack on March 22 — which led to the deaths of 143 people and was claimed by a branch of the Islamic State group — Russian police have been conducting raids on migrant dormitories in several cities, while non-white people have been searched on the streets.
In late March some 40 migrants were detained at their place of work 60 kilometers from Moscow. Law enforcement agencies also conducted a major operation including mass searches and the immediate arraignment of people accused of breaking migration laws. As a result, 466 individuals were sentenced to expulsion from Russia.
Central Asian authorities from Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan — traditional countries of origin for many migrants to Russia — have all issued statements advising their citizens not to participate in mass events in Russia and to stay home.
