Moscow concert hall attack: Migrants from Tajikistan flee Russia amid racism, vandalism against Central Asians

Tajik migrants working in Russia are now making their way back to Tajikistan as they are scared for their lives after the deadly Crocus Hall attack in Moscow shook the nation.

Tajikistan’s Ministry of Labour, Migration and Employment said, “We receive a lot of calls. These are most likely not complaints about harassment, but fear of our citizens, panic, and many want to leave. We are now monitoring the situation, we have more people coming (to Tajikistan) than leaving.”

There has been a sentiment growing against Central Asian people in Russia after most of the gunmen who opened fire on people in the concert hall were identified to be hailing from the region.

In fact, Tajikistan detained nine people this week suspected of having links to the mass shooting and also to the militant Islamist State group that claimed responsibility, a Tajik security source told Reuters.

Ever since the attack, Central Asian migrants, who make up a sizeable portion of Russia’s labour market, have been witnessing a rise in vandalism and racism against them. Therefore, the Tajikistan embassy in Russia has issued an advisory for its citizens in the country advising them not to leave their homes until necessary.

However, Tajikistan’s labour ministry expects that the outflow of migrants from Russia will be temporary.

In a similar tone of warning, the foreign ministry of Kyrgyzstan asked citizens with ’no necessary business’ to refrain from traveling to Russia and those there to carry documents at all times and comply with Russian regulations following beefed-up security measures and increased border control since the attack.

A labour shortage in Russia’s economy may become even worse due to the outflow of migrant workers, with a deficit in the construction industry growing by 36 per cent this year compared to 2022, Anton Glushkov, president of the National Association of Builders (NOSTROY), told Interfax news agency on Friday.