In the Chelyabinsk region of Russia, raids and special operations by law enforcement agencies have increased. According to Russian media, law enforcement conducted large-scale sweeps for illegal immigrants in the Chelyabinsk region. Employees of the regional FSB, police, OMON, and military enlistment office conducted a raid on migrants. It is reported that 320 migrants came […]
In the Chelyabinsk region of Russia, raids and special operations by law enforcement agencies have increased.
According to Russian media, law enforcement conducted large-scale sweeps for illegal immigrants in the Chelyabinsk region.
Employees of the regional FSB, police, OMON, and military enlistment office conducted a raid on migrants.
It is reported that 320 migrants came under the attention of law enforcement. As a result, 13 individuals received summonses to the military enlistment office.
Raids were mainly conducted in dormitories, hostels, markets, and warehouses. Law enforcement also deported several migrants from Russia on charges of violating residency rules.
The exact number of those deported from Chelyabinsk is unknown. According to authorities, since the beginning of 2025, more than 4,500 administrative violations in the field of migration have been registered in the region. Entry into Russia has been banned for 854 foreigners.
Additionally, law enforcement discovered a prayer room, which they referred to as “illegal.” The police initiated an administrative investigation.
Also, as part of the operation “Anaconda,” mass checks were conducted. It was reported that during a raid at the border of the Chelyabinsk region with Kazakhstan, five citizens from neighboring countries were detained. They were held accountable for violating migration legislation.
According to the press service of the regional Ministry of Internal Affairs, all foreigners were checked against informational databases for involvement in criminal activities, fingerprinted, and photographed. The nationality of the detained individuals has not been disclosed.
During these raids, Russians were also checked. A case has been opened against one Russian citizen for illegally registering 25 migrants in his home, while four others were fined 100,000 rubles each and sentenced to imprisonment for a term of 2 to 3 years for fictitious employment of migrants.
Additionally, the Head of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation, Alexander Bastrykin, has instructed to conduct an investigation following a request from Russian nationalists concerned about the illegal entrepreneurial activities of migrants in Chelyabinsk.
Nevertheless, this year, a center for the socio-cultural adaptation of migrants will open in the Chelyabinsk region. Almost 54.4 million rubles will be allocated for the creation of a pilot center for the social and cultural adaptation of foreign citizens. In this establishment, foreigners will receive information about migration, administrative, and criminal legislation of the Russian Federation, as well as norms of behavior and the conduct of religious rituals, the regional administration reported.
It should be noted that in recent years, there has been a rise in xenophobia and anti-migrant sentiment in Russia. Law enforcement agencies are conducting mass raids on the streets, in hostels, cafes, and markets, where migrants are often treated brutally, beaten, and have their patents or residence permits revoked. This particularly affects citizens of Central Asian countries, including Tajikistan. They are even stripped of their residence permits and citizenship for evading participation in the war in Ukraine.
Previously, State Duma deputies adopted new laws that further complicate the already difficult working conditions for migrants.