Mass raids in hostels in Moscow

Law enforcement agencies are conducting mass checks of hostel guests in Moscow and the Moscow region.

On September 2, as a result of a joint raid, employees of the military investigative department of the Investigative Committee of Moscow, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the FSB, and the National Guard discovered about 60 illegal migrants in a hostel located in a high-rise building. A total of 1,200 people were checked, according to the report.

According to media reports citing the investigation, in the hostel located in a Moscow high-rise, after checking the documents of more than 1,200 residents, 60 individuals were identified as violating migration regulations.

Additionally, 19 violators of military registration rules were identified. They were immediately taken to the military enlistment office for registration.

A published video recorded the raid process, showing that all migrants were brought out to the hostel courtyard, while law enforcement officers checked their documents and assessed their knowledge of the Russian language. Those who did not speak Russian were forcibly placed on buses.

On the same day, a large raid took place on Narofominskaya Street in Moscow. Here, law enforcement officers brought in over 300 migrants for checks on migration legislation.

According to the investigation, the hostel on Narofominskaya Street in Moscow was involved in organizing illegal migration.

This hostel belonged to the family of 17-year-old Radik, who is suspected of being involved in the death of 20-year-old football player Arseniy Yeroshevich from the “Russian Community Shchyolkovo” club. He was beaten on August 17 near a nightclub during a fight between local residents and migrants over football.

Although Radik and his family fled to Israel, the investigation has detained three suspects among the participants of the mass brawl.

As a result, 17-year-old Radik was placed on the international wanted list.

Following this, on September 2, the Investigative Committee of Russia reported that city operatives are conducting raids in hostels and hotels owned by Radik’s family.

On September 3, a police raid took place at the “Silk Road” hostel and the “Samarkand” teahouse owned by Radik’s family, located in neighboring buildings on 60 Years of October Avenue in Shchyolkovo.

The raid was conducted by OMON officers. Foreigners were brought out from the hostel and the neighboring café “Samarkand,” questioned, and their documents were checked. The fate of these migrants is currently unknown.

Similar raids against migrants are taking place in other regions of Russia.

After the attack on the “Krokus City Hall,” in which migrants were identified as suspects, anti-migrant sentiments have intensified in Russia. Authorities, along with nationalist groups, are conducting “raids” on the streets, in dormitories, cafes, and markets, where migrants are poorly treated and beaten.

According to the migrants themselves, Russian law enforcement agencies annul residence documents and other papers of individuals from Central Asian countries if they refuse to go to war against Ukraine.

In addition, during this time, several new laws have been proposed and adopted in the State Duma that have further worsened the situation for migrants.

Despite the labor shortage in Russia, which authorities and experts note has reached a deficit of 2 to 2.2 million workers, the number of deportations of migrants from the country continues to rise.

Experts note that whenever problems arise within Russia, authorities create an atmosphere of hostility towards migrants to distract citizens from the main issues. The incident at “Krokus City Hall” provided the authorities with just such an opportunity.