New anti-migrant raids in Russia

Law enforcement agencies in Russia conducted raids in the city of Saint Petersburg, Leningrad and Orenburg regions to identify violations in the field of migration.

Law enforcement officers checked the documents of 126 foreign citizens at construction sites in the Petrogradsky district of Saint Petersburg and the Lomonosovsky district of the Leningrad region, identifying 24 violators of migration legislation. The violators were taken to the police station and held administratively accountable. They are expected to be deported from Russia in the near future, according to a statement from the regional Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

The police are also checking legal entities that employed migrants in violation of the law. Employers may also be held accountable.

Raids also took place in the Orenburg region. During the operation “Vegetable Grower,” the police conducted raids in areas where foreign citizens are located and work, including markets, construction sites, greenhouses, and fields. As a result, 124 administrative violations were identified. Among them, 24 foreign citizens were illegally engaged in labor activities. All employers who were not authorized to employ foreigners were held accountable and fined.

Additionally, 58 foreigners violated entry rules or the terms of their stay in the country. All were held administratively accountable. Seven of them received fines of 2000 rubles. Two are required to leave the country independently, while five individuals were placed in a detention center for foreigners and will be forcibly deported.

Furthermore, two criminal cases have been initiated for the fictitious registration of a foreign citizen.

During the raid in the Krasnogvardeysky district of the Orenburg region, police identified nine violations of migration legislation. Three foreigners were held administratively accountable for illegal work. They face fines and possible deportation from Russia.

A resident of the village of Lugovsk was also held accountable for failing to timely notify migration authorities about the arrival of a foreign citizen. Several other residents of the district were fined for illegally employing foreigners.

It is currently unknown whether any of the violators were citizens of Tajikistan.

Currently, raids and inspections are taking place in all regions of Russia. The police are even using drones to identify areas where migrants congregate.

In recent years, there has been a rise in xenophobia and anti-migration sentiment in Russia. Alongside raids and the forced sending of migrants to fight in Ukraine, a number of bills have been proposed and adopted in the State Duma to tighten control over migrants, their stay, and employment in the country.

Experts believe that the sharp change in Russia’s migration policy is occurring against the backdrop of the Russian economy’s acute dependence on migrants, particularly in the fields of construction, housing and utilities, agriculture, and logistics. Previously, Russian employers have repeatedly expressed concern that if the rules for migrants’ stay are tightened, they will not be able to find workers in time.