DISINFO: Crimes committed by migrants in Russia rose by 75% to a total of 21,900 incidents
SUMMARY
The Russian Attorney General, Igor Krasnov, reported a significant increase in crimes committed by migrants in Russia during 2023, stating that these crimes rose by 75% to a total of 21,900 incidents. Krasnov emphasised the ongoing challenge of combating crimes committed by illegal and labour migrants.
RESPONSE
Prosecutor General Igor Krasnov is fuelling a wave of migrant-phobia after the terrorist attack on Crocus City Hall in Moscow on March 22, 2024.
His words were quickly replicated by right-wing communities on social networks and in the media, but they are not true. As explained by Politico:
"This statement, which starkly contradicts figures provided by the Russian interior ministry, is illustrative of a campaign against migrants launched by law enforcement following the Crocus attack. According to yearly statistics from the interior ministry, the number of foreigners who committed crimes fell by 9 percent in 2023, while the number of foreign criminals from ex-Soviet CIS countries decreased by 7 percent."
The situation for migrants from Central Asia in Russia has deteriorated since the Crocus City Hall attack on 22 March 2024. As Human Rights Watch said on April 5, 2024:
“Migrants from Central Asia and other people of non-Slavic appearance are facing a notable increase in ethnic harassment and attacks in Russia in the wake of the March 22, 2024 attack on a concert hall on the outskirts of Moscow. The authorities should stop their ethnic profiling of Central Asian migrants, arbitrary arrests, and prolonged detention, and instead ensure their safety, thoroughly investigate all xenophobic incidents and hold those responsible to account.”
Human rights defenders say they are flooded with calls and requests for assistance from Central Asian migrants. A prominent Russian research organisation Sova has reported a spike in violence by ultra-nationalists against people they identify as non-Slavs and migrants.
Rather than condemn the xenophobic violence and harassment, Russian authorities have carried out raids and checks against migrants from Central Asia. In Moscow, police officers forcibly entered the apartment of Manas Joldoshbekov, the counsellor of the Kyrgyzstan Embassy in Russia, to verify the legality of his residence as a foreigner within the Russian Federation. They broke down the door to check his documents, violating the provisions of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961 on diplomatic immunity.
Authorities from Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan - the primary countries of origin for many migrants to Russia—have each released statements advising their citizens against participating in large gatherings in Russia, stay home and urging them to postpone their travel to Russia.
Court cases against migrants for alleged violations of migration regulations appear to have increased by 70 percent above average for 2024 in the week following the attack, Human Rights Watch said based on its analysis of the best available court data.
See also Foreigners meddling to stoke up discord between Russians and migrants.