Governor of the Voronezh Oblast of the Russian Federation, Alexander Gusev, has extended and expanded restrictions on employing migrants in several sectors, Vesti-Voronezh reported on January 5.
Under the new rules, migrants are now prohibited from working as couriers, in education and healthcare, in retail, or providing care for the sick. They are also barred from working in utilities sectors, such as water supply systems. Exceptions are made only for auxiliary workers such as loaders, cleaners, and janitors.
Migrants already employed in prohibited positions will be dismissed or transferred to jobs compliant with the governor's decree.
In the summer of 2024, the Voronezh oblast already banned migrants from working in transportation, including as taxi and public transport drivers. Later, restrictions were extended to retail and social services.
Similar restrictions have been introduced in dozens of other Russian regions. For instance, the Krasnodar Krai implemented a complete ban on employing foreign workers.
Since the terror attack on Krasnogorsk’s Crocus City Hall in March last year, the Kremlin has taken active steps to complicate the lives of migrant workers in Russia, further tightening legislation in what was already a hostile environment for outsiders.
The issue of tightening entry rules to Russia resurfaced after General Lieutenant-General Igor Kirillov, who headed Russia’s radiological, biological and chemical protections forces, and his aide Ilya Polikarpov were killed in Moscow on December 17 by an explosive device planted in an electric scooter. The suspect is a 29-year-old citizen of Uzbekistan, Ahmad Kurbanov.
According to some sources, at least 1 million Tajik migrants work in Russia, many of them engaged in physically demanding jobs in factories, construction sites, and the agriculture sector.
