A large-scale raid against migrants took place in St. Petersburg

In one of the districts of St. Petersburg, police, FSO, and Rosgvardiya conducted a large-scale raid. Their goal was to check places of compact residence of labor migrants and construction sites where they work, according to the report.

As reported by Russian law enforcement, the raid took place in the Admiralteysky district of St. Petersburg, during which a number of violations of migration legislation and illegal employment were identified.

For this purpose, law enforcement officials moved from residential areas to construction sites. A total of 367 people were asked to present their documents, of which 324 turned out to be foreigners.

Of these, 15 individuals were taken to the police station. Administrative protocols were drawn up against them for neglecting migration legislation under Article 18.8 of the Administrative Offenses Code of the Russian Federation (Violation by a foreign citizen of the rules for entering Russia or the regime of stay in it).

One of the detainees was listed as wanted. In addition, the results of the raid provided grounds for initiating an investigation under the article on organizing illegal migration.

Additionally, traffic police stopped 32 vehicles. Drivers were accused of violating traffic rules. Administrative protocols were drawn up against 10 individuals.

Earlier, during a raid at a construction site in the Lomonosovsky district of the Leningrad region, police checked the documents of 327 foreign citizens. As a result of the inspection, 52 individuals were held administratively liable for violating migration legislation.

It is not yet specified whether any Tajik citizens were among those detained during these raids.

Over the past two years, especially after the attack on the Crocus City Hall concert venue, in which migrants are suspected, there has been a rise in xenophobia and anti-migrant sentiment in Russia. Law enforcement agencies conduct mass raids on the streets, in hostels, cafes, and markets, checking places where migrants gather in large numbers — such as tea houses and mosques, where migrants are often treated violently, beaten, and have their patents or residence permits revoked. This particularly affects citizens from Central Asian countries, including Tajikistan. They are also stripped of their residence permits and even citizenship for evading participation in the war in Ukraine.