Deputy Head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia: “We really do not know who is coming to us”

The Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs is concerned that some migrants may be involved in extremist and terrorist activities.

The first deputy minister, Police General-Colonel Alexander Gorovoy, who oversees migration policy at the Ministry of Internal Affairs, stated in an interview with the publication “Kommersant” that there has been a 24% increase in extremist crimes committed by migrants in Russia.

“We are being criticized for a 24% increase in extremist crimes committed by foreigners and stateless persons. In absolute terms, this is an increase from 59 to 73 cases,” said Alexander Gorovoy.

According to him, the reason lies in the visa-free regime with Central Asian countries.

“Given the visa-free entry into our country from Central Asian states, we really do not know who is coming to us,” noted the first deputy minister of internal affairs.

However, he stated that operational staff of the FSB and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia identify extremist crimes at an early stage, preventing more serious manifestations such as terrorism.

“Since the beginning of the year, according to the National Anti-Terrorism Committee, 196 terrorist crimes have been prevented, including 142 terrorist acts,” said Gorovoy.

The deputy minister noted that besides criminal activities, migrants also commit administrative offenses.

“In the first half of this year, the police documented about 1.7 million administrative offenses by foreign citizens and stateless persons, which is 44.6% more than last year’s figure,” said the deputy head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia.

Recently, migrants have complained that they are subjected to unprecedentedly harsh checks and interrogations upon entering Russia. For several months now, the entry of Tajik migrants into Russia has been complicated. Videos published on social media show that Russian border guards are strictly checking citizens of Tajikistan both at land borders and at airports. Recently, hundreds of Tajiks have been denied entry and sent back to their homeland.

Special unwritten discriminatory rules apply to migrants from Central Asia. They are usually detained at the border for hours, undergoing interrogations and searches of their personal belongings.

After the bloody attack on “Krokus City Hall” and the hostage-taking at a Volgograd colony, law enforcement agencies in Russia have further tightened control over Tajik citizens and intensified migration policy. In both cases, Russian authorities claim that citizens of Tajikistan were involved.