Dozens of Tajik migrant workers returned to Tajikistan on July 8 after Russian authorities refused them entry to the country five days earlier amid a wave of anti-Tajik sentiment, Radio Liberty’s Tajik Service, known locally as Radio Ozodi, reported on July 8.
The labor migrants told Radio Ozodi that they had been stranded in Moscow since July 3, while Russian authorities have not explained the reason for the ban.
Dozens of Tajik migrants who arrived in Moscow on a flight from Bokhtar, the capital of Khatlon province, spent five days at Sheremetyevo Airport without receiving permission to enter Russia.
According to them, they arrived in the Russian capital on the morning of July 3, but border guards did not allow them to cross the border.
"We were not even given our luggage, which included bread and some food. During these days, we were forced to buy expensive water and chocolate bars from vending machines. There are about 200 of us, and they specifically did not let Tajik citizens pass," the migrants said.
They also reported that they spent five days in the airport and were only sent back to Tajikistan on the morning of July 8. The reason why the migrants were not allowed to enter Russia was not disclosed.
Tickets for the Bokhtar-Moscow (Sheremetyevo) flight are considered cheaper, especially on weekdays or for connecting flights. The airline Nordwind Airlines operates flights on the Bokhtar-Moscow (Sheremetyevo) route.
Meanwhile, a video appeared on social media, in which the author claims that almost 300 Tajiks were not allowed to cross the border upon arrival at the Vnukovo Airport. The video does not specify the date and time but notes that they arrived on a Utair flight.
Asia-Plus was unable to obtain comments from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the Tajik Embassy in Moscow regarding the situation.
Tajik nationals trying to enter Russia as migrant workers have faced difficulties since 11 Tajik men were arrested in March and April for their alleged involvement in an attack on a concert hall in Krasnogrosk, Moscow oblast in March that left 144 people dead.
An official source within the Tajik Foreign Ministry told Asia-Plus on May 1 that during the period from April 26 to April 30, out of 3101 Tajik nationals arriving at Moscow’s Vnukovo Airport, 643 were deported after having been left stranded without appropriate conditions.
The Tajik Foreign Ministry said on April 28 that about 1000 Tajik nationals have been left stranded at Moscow airports due to tightened passport and custom controls in the wake of a terror attack last month. Hundreds of arriving Tajiks have been informed that they are barred from entering Russia, leaving them inside the airport as they seek a resolution.
In May, the Tajik Ministry of Foreign Affairs recommended that citizens temporarily refrain from traveling to Russia due to the situation.
Radio Ozodi reported on June 17 that more than 30 Tajik nationals have been stranded at Moscow's Vnukovo airport since last week amid tightened passport controls almost three months after a deadly terror attack near Moscow.
Some of the stranded Tajiks told RFE/RL that Russian security officials did not allow them to enter the country, saying that "Tajiks cause problems in Russia."
Tajik nationals who were deported or denied entry to Russia described it as a financial blow to their families.
