The law enforcement agencies of St. Petersburg are conducting a large-scale operation called “Anti-Migrant” to identify and deport foreign citizens who do not have the right to stay in Russia. This reports the human rights group”Department One”.
“You can’t get near the temporary detention centers for foreigners. There are a lot of specialized vehicles as well as buses to take people to the airport. They’re also carrying out raids on dormitories and apartments. All the detention centers are overcrowded,” a lawyer told Department One.
According to him, migrants are being massively deported from the country on planes from Pulkovo Airport. “Just yesterday, more than 64 foreign citizens were deported from the Vyborgsky District of St. Petersburg. Two full planes took off,” the source told the “First Department.”
On Friday afternoon, several more autovan with detainees, for whom a decision on deportation had been made, were sent to the airport, the human rights activist added.
Following the attack on March 22 at “Crocus City Hall,” in which citizens of Tajikistan were suspected, checks on people with “Eastern appearance” intensified in Moscow. According to the Russian service of the BBC, the number of cases related to violations of entry rules into the Russian Federation has increased in Moscow courts this week. Xenophobic sentiments among citizens have also sharply risen. It was reported that people in Russian cities started refusing to take taxis with drivers from Tajikistan, and heads of Tajik diasporas advice to their compatriots to avoid going out in the evenings
