Tajik migrant worker, Hashimjon, who worked as a courier for Yandex, was detained on October 8 in the prestigious Rublyovka area, home to celebrities, government officials, and wealthy businessmen, Current Time reported on October 22.
According to Hashimjon, the police told him that foreign nationals are supposedly not allowed in the semi-restricted area, after which he was detained and faced deportation from Russia.
Hashimjon recounted that he was delivering an order to a house in Rublyovka when police stopped his vehicle. “I was delivering an order, everything was fine. But they told me: ‘You’re a foreigner, you’re not allowed here.’ They prohibited me from being in the area and brought me to a foreign detention center. I asked to be released, but they told me to sit and wait. I’ve already been here for a week,” said the Tajik citizen.
After a week in detention, he learned that Russian authorities had decided to deport him. He reached out to Yandex for assistance, but the company responded that they could not help him in his situation.
Hashimjon is a specialist in aircraft engines who came to Russia hoping to find work in his field. However, he was unable to secure a job at the airport immediately. "I submitted all the documents proving my qualifications, but they said I was a foreigner and rejected my application," he explained. He later found work as a loader at Domodedovo Airport, but when the war with Ukraine began, foreign nationals were banned from working at airports. Afterward, he worked in construction and then bought a car to work in delivery.
He also had plans to continue his studies in Russia. However, his situation has disrupted all his plans. “I wanted to pursue a master’s degree, but problem after problem arose. Especially after the events at 'Crocus,' the attitude towards us, migrants, in Russia has completely changed. A sergeant stops you and talks to you as if he’s a general,” Hashimjon said.
Migrants in Russia, not only from Tajikistan but from other countries, have recently been complaining en masse on social media and in the media about police raids and being expelled from Russia without explanation, even when they possess all the necessary documents. Those held in foreign detention centers often report prison-like conditions, poor food, and mistreatment, with some even alleging abuse and violence by the staff. Migrants sometimes have to wait weeks under such conditions for their deportation.
Central Asian migrant workers and visitors have faced increased scrutiny from Russian authorities following a deadly terrorist attack at an entertainment center near Moscow in March that left more than 140 people dead and hundreds injured. Russia arrested more than 20 suspects, mostly from Tajikistan.
Meanwhile, some experts note that previous terrorist acts involving Central Asians did not lead to such an anti-migrant campaign. According to them, more likely, the issue lies in how the invasion of Ukraine has normalized a higher level of brutality and aggression in Russia. Many ultra-patriots, Z-bloggers, neo-Nazis, and war correspondents have reportedly risen to prominence, making xenophobic and hateful statements, including against migrants, commonplace.
