In a report released at a news conference in Dushanbe, the director of the Civil Aviation Agency, Habibullo Nazarzoda revealed on July 24 that 3,400 Tajik migrant workers have not been allowed to enter Russia and turned back to Tajikistan from Russian airports over the first six months of this year.
According to him, Tajik citizens were not allowed to enter Russia due to alleged problems with their documents.
It is to be noted that the life of Tajik migrant workers in Russia has consistently deteriorated in recent years, especially after the launch by Russia of the so-called “special military operation” in Ukraine in February 2022. However, after the Crocus City Hall terrorist attack, the pressure on labor migrants from Tajikistan has increased even more.
In late March, Russian police officers have conducted mass raids in a number of Russian cities on places where migrants stay. In St. Petersburg alone, the courts ordered the deportation of more than 400 migrants.
More than 30 Tajik nationals were stranded at Moscow's Vnukovo airport in early June amid tightened passport controls almost three months after a deadly Crocus City Hall terrorist attack. Some of the stranded Tajiks say Russian security officials did not allow them to enter the country, saying that “Tajiks cause problems in Russia.”
Besides, 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. The labor migrants had reportedly been stranded in Moscow since July 3, while Russian authorities did not explain the reason for the ban. They arrived in Moscow on a flight from Bokhtar, the capital of Khatlon province, and spent five days at Sheremetyevo Airport without receiving permission to enter Russia.
Russia hosts millions of migrant workers from Central Asia, primarily from Uzbekistan, Tajiistan and Kyrgyzstan, who are employed in a variety of occupations, including construction, street cleaning, retail, and the restaurant industry.
The terrorist attack has sparked an increase in xenophobic remarks and attacks, prompting some to return home now.
