Feedback Global Detention Project released a publication on Russia’s current migration policy:
Russia is ramping up immigration enforcement to pressure migrants to join the frontline in Ukraine and increase deportations of people from various Asian countries. As part of the Kremlin’s efforts to bolster military strength, foreigners continue to be coerced into fighting in Ukraine–with many being threatened with deportation should they refuse to fight. And since the Crocus City Hall terrorist attack in Moscow in March 2024, xenophobic rhetoric targeting migrants from Tajikistan and other countries in Central Asia has ballooned, leading to “sweeping” raids that have resulted in thousands of people being locked up in the country’s sprawling immigration detention system. In February, legislation came into force creating a new “expulsion regime,” increasing authorities’ ability to deport without judicial oversight.
“Sweeping” Raids
Although the Russian economy relies heavily on migrant labour, particularly from Central Asia, prejudice against migrants is persistent. According to the extremism monitor Sova Research Center, since 2023 Russia has witnessed an increase in hate crimes and racial violence. In particular, the Center reports that violence has targeted persons “visually perceived as ethnic outsiders”–such as migrants from Central Asia, persons from the Caucasus and, more broadly, persons with non-Slavic appearance. Anti-migrant sentiment is also reflected in polls conducted by the Levada Center, who in early 2025 found that fifty-six percent of Russians believe that Central Asians should either be completely blocked from the country, or only permitted to enter temporarily.
Xenophobia and discrimination against Central Asian migrants have significantly intensified in the wake of the March 2024 Crocus City Hall terrorist attack in Moscow. This attack, in which terrorists killed 140+ concert goers and injured more than 500 others, was allegedly carried out by Islamic State-Khorasan Province (IS-LP/ISIS-K)– a group which is primarily active in Central and South Asia. Four Tajiks were subsequently arrested and charged for committing acts of terrorism.
Since then, Central Asian migrants in the country have faced a wave of violence and discrimination, including physical attacks and job dismissals. Multiple regions across Russia, for example, introduced restrictions on the types of jobs that migrant workers can take. In Omsk, they were banned from working in fields such as education, health care, and the production of food and medicine. In Samara, they were banned from producing perishable bakery goods or baby food.
On top of this, “sweeping” raids conducted by police officers and other security agencies have targeted areas that migrants are known to frequent, including mosques and markets. Thousands have been arrested, detained, and deported during these raids: according to Dmitry Aristov, the Director of the Federal Bailiff Service, 87,000 foreigners were deported from Russia in 2024–almost twice as many as in 2023.
According to media reports, the number of migrant workers arrested and detained is so high that in some parts of Russia, dedicated detention centres are full and migrants have instead been placed in local jails. (Russian law, however, provides that foreigners detained for violating immigration rules must be held in dedicated immigration detention centres.) According to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, the sheer number of detainees has also lead to food shortages and migrants allege that they have no access to “proper food.” “Our food consists only of bread and tea with sugar,” one migrant told the news site.
Conditions in dedicated detention facilities, however, are no better. Information provided to the GDP by partners in Russia have included frequent reports of mistreatment including violent beatings, overcrowding, insufficient medical treatment, and lack of sufficient sanitary facilities.
“Expulsion Regime”
In 2024, authorities amended legislation to better facilitate their expulsion efforts. Amongst amendments were changes to the Code of Administrative Offences, expanding the power of police officers and other Ministry of Interior Affairs workers to expel migrants without judicial oversight. Such expulsion orders may be executed immediately, leaving migrants unable to challenge such decisions (which, according to Russian law, should be permitted within ten days of receiving an expulsion order).
The country’s Law on the Legal Status of Foreign Citizens was also amended to create an “expulsion regime,” whereby law enforcement can designate a migrant a “controlled person” due to immigration-related violations, and add them to a “controlled persons registry.” Those included on the list face a host of restrictions, such as a ban on changing their place of residence without permission, a ban on leaving the municipality in which they live, a ban on driving vehicles, and a ban on marriage. Violation of these restrictions will result in the “controlled person’s” deportation, without a court decision.
Despite only coming into effect on 5 February 2025, by 9 March 685,000 foreigners had been added to the registry. According to Memorial, there have been numerous cases of foreigners with legal residence in the country being included in the registry–and learning of their inclusion upon discovering that their bank accounts had been frozen.
These changes run counter to authorities’ previous move towards greater judicial oversight of immigration enforcement practices. In 2023, following a decade-long campaign by human rights defenders and lawyers (amongst them the GDP’s partner ADC Memorial), Russian authorities amended the Code of Administrative Offences to impose judicial control over the extension of detention orders, and the right for detainees to challenge the legality of their detention in court if there are indications that expulsion from Russia is impossible (see our January 2024 overview here).
Deportation – or the Frontline
As Russia’s war against Ukraine continues, authorities have sought out ever more creative ways to encourage–or coerce– men of military age to the frontline. As the GDP reported in 2023, numerous news articles have highlighted Russian authorities’ efforts to force migrants onto the frontlines by threatening deportation, imitating the Wagner Group’s recruitment of Russian convicts.
We have noted numerous similar reports highlighting the continuation of this practice since then. In one particular case, Novaya Gazeta documented the mass arrest of 3,000 Central Asian migrants in Moscow on New Years Eve 2023. The paper writes: “the following morning, army recruiters came to the centres and urged the men to join the army, promising people without citizenship that they would receive Russian passports upon the completion of their service and warning people who hesitated that if they did not agree to sign contracts, their entire families could be deported from Russia and legal proceedings would be opened against them for violating migration legislation.”
As the use of immigration detention and deportation in Russia increases, there are growing fears that more migrants may find themselves coerced to fight. As we noted in 2023, the recruitment of migrant workers poses serious ethical and legal implications, not least because the legislation of many Central Asian countries provides that military involvement in Ukraine would constitute mercenary activity liable for criminal punishment. This was evidenced in November 2024, when an Uzbek court sentenced Alisher Xoliqov, a recently returned Uzbek migrant who had been coerced into fighting in Ukraine, to five years in prison.
Military Service for New Passport Holders
In another move to bolster military strength, in August 2024 the State Duma passed the United Russia Bill providing for the deprivation of newly acquired citizenship if an individual of military age fails to register for military service. As per the new legislation, new passport holders must register at a military enlistment centre within two weeks of receiving a passport.
In October 2024, Russian media reported that at least 12 people had had their citizenship revoked due to their failure to enlist, and had been obliged to leave Russian territory. Naturalized citizens have also been apprehended during raids in migrant communities, following which they have been issued military summons–or even been immediately taken to military units. The head of the country’s Investigative Committee, Alexander Bastrykin, has become a mouthpiece for this policy, boasting that “more than 30,000 of those who received citizenship but do not want to register for military service have already been caught and registered. About 10,000 of them have already been sent to the special military operation zone.”
However, it appears that this initiative is not just an effort to increase military personnel–but another attempt to deter against migration. According to Bastrykin, this new policy also serves as a “trick” to encourage migrants to leave the country. Describing the bill, he said: “We found a trick that led to migrants slowly leaving Russia.”
Threats to Deport Ukrainians
In an effort to strengthen its grip on occupied areas, in March Putin signed a decree requiring all Ukrainian citizens living in Russian-occupied regions to obtain Russian citizenship by 10 September 2025. Failure to do so will result in their being classed as “foreigners” and facing deportation.
The process of deporting Ukrainians, however, is fraught with complexity–and authorities have not clarified how they envisage carrying out mass deportations. With removal to Ukraine all but impossible due to the absence of diplomatic channels and the closure of consulates, those slated for removal face indefinite detention in Russia. While there were reports of some Ukrainians being released in 2022, the GDP has received reports of others remaining in detention, and of some being coerced into obtaining Russian citizenship and being sent to fight.