Mass deportations of Muslim migrants are surging across Russia in the wake of the March 22 attack by four Islamic terrorists at the Crocus City Hall venue in Moscow that left over 140 people dead.
The deportations come as authorities — concerned about further attacks — step up raids on apartments and dorm complexes known to house Muslim migrants from Central Asia. In the final week of March alone, St. Petersburg courts received 584 cases linked to breaches of immigration law, and at least 418 foreigners were ordered into special holding facilities to await deportation.
The Crocus City Hall attackers, all Tajik nationals, attempted to cross the Ukrainian border following the incident. Over one million Tajiks have entered Russia in recent years seeking work. A recent report from the Moscow Times found that “Between 2012 and 2018, over 2,000 Tajik citizens joined terrorist groups in Syria and Iraq, making Tajikistan the third highest sender of foreign fighters to the war on a per capita basis.”
The U.S. government has asserted that ISIS-K was behind the Crocus City Hall attack. However, the Kremlin has suggested the terrorists may have had support from Ukraine or the U.S. itself.
🚨 Russia: Yesterday Vladimir Osechkin relayed info from FSB sources that an order for indiscriminate mass raids and repressions against Muslims came down in 'response' to the Crocus City Hall massacre. Today, the FSB made mass arrests at the Wildberries warehouse in Electrostal. pic.twitter.com/pjr5OkhECN
— Igor Sushko (@igorsushko) March 27, 2024
