Uzbekistan has urged its citizens who work in Russia to comply with the stepped-up security measures that Moscow introduced following last week’s deadly attack at a concert hall near Moscow, RFE/RL’s Uzbek Service reported.
Central Asian migrant workers in Russia have found themselves under enormous pressure and faced a backlash after Russian officials announced they had detained 11 suspects, including four ethnic Tajiks, who allegedly attacked the Crocus City Hall entertainment center in Krasnogorsk. At least 139 people were killed in the attack, which was claimed by the Islamic State militant group.
On March 24, the four men were sent to pretrial detention until at least May 22. Four other men, all Central Asian natives, were later also sent to pretrial detention for two months.
In its March 27 statement, Uzbekistan’s Agency for External Labor Migration asked Uzbek citizens traveling to Russia, leaving Russia, and residing in Russia “to always carry ID documents, residence, and labor permits” with them.
“Do not go to public sites without reason, stay away from talking to strangers or suspicious people, avoid storing banned photos, audio and video materials on phones and other gadgets,” the Agency for External Labor Migration said. It also recommended that those who plan to travel while in Russia to arrive at airports or train stations earlier for possible security checks by Russian authorities.
RFE/RL correspondents talked to dozens of Central Asian migrant workers in Russia in recent days, who said that anti-Central Asian migrant sentiment, already at high levels in the country, had spiked alarmingly following the arrests of the alleged attackers.
This week, several migrant workers from Uzbekistan and Tajikistan were detained in Moscow for questioning that lasted for up to 10 hours, while many businesses owned by migrants from Central Asia have been suddenly inspected.
Reports about arson attacks targeting businesses owned by Tajik migrants and beatings of Central Asian men in the streets of cities across Russia have been circulating in recent days. Several Tajik taxi-drivers in Russia complained that customers had canceled their orders after learning that the drivers were from Central Asia.
Earlier this week, Kyrgyzstan advised its citizens to refrain from traveling to Russia out of fears that Kyrgyz nationals could be harassed or attacked.
RFE/RL correspondents in Turkmenistan reported earlier that Turkmen authorities have been exploring how to bring Turkmen students studying at Russian universities back home, amid fears of the anti-immigrant backlash.
