• Four Tajik nationals are accused of carrying out the attack, claimed by the Islamic State.
• Authorities have arrested several other suspects of Central Asian origin.
• Tajik-born singer Manizha Sanghin condemned the attack but warned about the consequences.

Since the deadly attacks at Moscow’s Crocus City Hall last Friday, reports have emerged of an increase in beatings, vandalism, and episodes of racism against Central Asian migrants in Russia. Four Tajik nationals have been accused of carrying out the attack, which resulted in the deaths of 140 people and was claimed by the jihadist group Islamic State.

Furthermore, authorities have arrested several other suspects of Central Asian origin. Forecasting a rise in tensions following the Moscow murders, the embassy of Tajikistan in Russia issued a warning to its citizens at the weekend, advising them not to leave their homes unless necessary.

A sizeable proportion of Russia’s migrant labor population consists of Central Asian migrants, particularly in the retail, transportation, and construction sectors.

Many of them already face high levels of discrimination. Prof. Edward Lemon of Texas A&M University stated to the news that they “often encounter broad social xenophobia, which perceives them as something of an underclass.”

Tajik-born singer Manizha Sanghin, who represented Russia at Eurovision in 2021, condemned the “flagrant atrocity” of the Moscow attack. However, she cautioned about the “consequences that will descend upon Tajiks and all residents of Central Asia.”

She currently serves as a goodwill ambassador for the UN refugee agency. According to the Russian Interior Ministry, there are approximately 10.5 million migrants from Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan working in Russia, with potentially many more being unregistered.

Prof. Lemon explained that the high numbers are due to a visa-free regime with Russia, making it one of the only options for Central Asian migrants seeking economic opportunities they lack at home. Despite the warning from the Tajik embassy, news quickly spread across Russia that the Crocus City Hall attackers were Tajik nationals.

Over the weekend, individuals burned down a migrant-owned business in the city of Blagoveshchensk in Russia’s Far East, while assailants attacked several migrants in Kaluga, a city southwest of Moscow. Authorities held migrants from Kyrgyzstan at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport for two days, locking them in a room without providing food or water before ultimately returning them home. Additionally, taxi drivers in Moscow reported clients requesting confirmation that they were not Tajiks.

Within hours of the Crocus City Hall attack, messages on Telegram messaging group chats in the early hours of Saturday revealed a growing nervousness among the migrant community in Russia.

“Many people already don’t like non-Russians, and now we have this situation,” one person wrote on a group entitled “Tajiks in Moscow”.

Worried about the risk of a backlash on the Tajik community, another said: “Please, God, let [the attackers] be Ukrainian instead.”

Russian media outlet Mediazona reported that Valentina Chupik, a lawyer who provides pro bono assistance to migrants, received 2,500 reports of “acts of aggression” against migrants in the two days following the Moscow attack. Police conducted raids on migrants’ dormitories and hostels across the country, detaining several individuals.

Also Read

AFC Asian Cup final: Afif hat-trick seals second consecutive title for Qatar

Qatar won the AFC Asian Cup 2023. Qatar defeated Jordan 3-1. Afif...