Some media outlets reports that in the wake of the March 22 assault, there has been a surge in raids on dormitories and workplaces where Central Asian migrants live and work, as well as heightened checks on migrant workers.
Russia is home to millions of Central Asian immigrants and migrant workers who commonly face discrimination, which is certain to intensify after the arrests in the Crocus City Hall rampage.
The BBC says an increase in beatings, vandalism and episodes of racism against Central Asian migrants has been reported in Russia since the deadly attacks at Krasnogorsk’s Crocus City Hall on March 22.
Recall, four Tajik nationals have been accused of killing 143 people in the attack, claimed by the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group. Several other suspects have been arrested, all of Central Asian origin.
Tajik migrants have reported a spike in xenophobic aggression, and in cities across Russia, assaults on migrant communities have been reported.
In the city of Blagoveshchensk, in the Amur oblast of Russia’s Far East, a shopping center frequented by Central Asian migrants was set on fire by unknown assailants. The city’s mayor, Oleg Imameyev, said the arson was motivated “obviously, on ethnic grounds.”
In Kaluga, southwest of Moscow, a group of people beat up three citizens of Tajikistan — one of them was hospitalized.
The Russian state-run news agency TASS reports that police and the National Guard yesterday raided a huge warehouse on the outskirts of Moscow.
Some taxi service users have reportedly been refusing to ride in vehicles with drivers from Tajikistan. Thus, Nekrouz, a 23-year-old Tajik, who works part-time for Yandex Taxi in St. Petersburg, told Eurasianet that he had been asked by dozens of potential clients about where he is from. When they learn he is Tajik, they cancel the order, he said.
In a post on Instagram, the Russian Tajik singer Manizha expressed fears that national fury over the Crocus City Hall attack “will fall on Tajiks and all Central Asians.” Manizha appealed for kindness. “Despite all the horror and darkness, we are obliged to remain human beings,” she said. Manizha is now a goodwill ambassador for the UN refugee agency.
Tajik community leaders in Russia have been advising diaspora members not to go outside at night and to avoid large public events.
Forecasting a rise in tensions in the aftermath of the Moscow murders, the Embassy of Tajikistan in Moscow warned Tajik citizens at the weekend not to leave their homes unless necessary and urged them to refrain from visiting crowded places.
Central Asian migrants make up a sizeable proportion of Russia's migrant labor population, particularly in the retail, transportation and construction sectors.
In 2023, 652,014 Tajik nationals, including 554,804 men and 97,210 women, traveled abroad seeking better employment opportunities, which is 123,564 people less than 2022 (in 2022, 775,578 Tajik labor migrants traveled abroad, primarily to Russia, but also to Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan ).
Of those 652,014 Tajiks, who traveled abroad last year, 627,028 traveled to Russia, 18,418 others traveled to Kazakhstan and 6,568 people traveled to other countries.
