The Russian Investigative Committee is conducting an investigation into the videos of a Tajik blogger

The press service of the Investigative Committee for St. Petersburg reported that they are conducting an investigation into the actions of a blogger from Tajikistan.

On June 16, the Telegram channel of this law enforcement agency indicated that, at the direction of the head of the Investigative Committee of Russia, Alexander Bastrykin, videos of the Tajik blogger, who shares a “method of deceiving the migration service” on social media, will be examined.

According to Radio Ozodi, the press service did not mention the blogger’s name, but in the Russian segment of Telegram, the blogger is referred to as Usmonjon Mirzomurodov. In a video posted on Russian Telegram channels, this blogger urges labor migrants to contact the WhatsApp number provided in the video and purchase fake student tickets. Mirzomurodov emphasizes that having a student ticket helps avoid various checks. This point is likely interpreted as a call to illegal actions.

In Russia, students are exempt from the need to pay for a patent. We could not find this video on the blogger’s own page and it was not possible to learn his opinion on the Investigative Committee’s statement. His current whereabouts are unknown. He did not respond to our inquiry on his Instagram page. According to the press service of the Investigative Committee, Mirzomurodov resides in St. Petersburg and they will provide further information on the results of the investigation. Usmonjon Mirzomurodov became known among Tajik youth for his humorous video posts. He has over 800,000 followers on Instagram.

Russia has tightened working conditions for Tajik migrants. Human rights defenders say that the requirements of Russian legislation regarding Tajik migrants are not properly enforced, and Russian authorities often act unfairly and biased against citizens of Tajikistan, which leads migrants to violate migration laws to avoid pressure and hardships.