Events in the Volgograd colony have worsened the situation for migrants

Labor migrants are complaining about increased checks and controls in Russia.

According to labor migrants, law enforcement agencies have intensified control on the roads of Moscow and other cities in Russia, with an increased number of police and security service personnel observed. In particular, buses and public transport are being checked more rigorously, and raids against migrants are being conducted. Security forces are especially thorough in checking cars owned by migrants, sometimes even using dogs.

Some observers explain the reason for the increased control by law enforcement against migrants as being related to recent events in a prison in Volgograd. In this incident, the perpetrators were four migrants from Central Asia, two of whom were citizens of Uzbekistan, and the other two were Tajik nationals with Russian citizenship.

Human rights defenders are urging migrants in Russia to exercise extreme caution and not to fall for provocations. The hostage-taking incident in the Volgograd prison involving individuals from Central Asia may negatively affect the attitudes of Russians and law enforcement agencies in the country towards all nationals from Central Asia. According to media reports, there has been a noticeable increase in complaints from migrants about provocative incidents in recent days.

On Facebook, users also note that even Tajik students are finding it difficult to enter Russia, as they are sometimes checked for up to 5 hours, and not everyone is allowed to enter the country. On August 23, in a high-security colony in the Volgograd region, four inmates took 12 people hostage: eight colony staff and four inmates.

Media reports indicate that two of the captors were from Tajikistan, while the other two were from Uzbekistan. All four died as a result of a special forces assault. Nine hostages were killed.

This event has reignited debates around the tightening of migration policy. The Security Council of Russia has proposed a number of legislative initiatives in this direction.