Muhammad shared that he had discovered a better life in Russia. Having relocated from Tajikistan last autumn, he took up driving delivery vans in Siberia, enrolled his children in a local school, applied for a Russian passport, and started making plans to purchase an apartment with the higher salary he was earning.
However, the recent arrest of a group of Tajik citizens accused of the attack at a Moscow concert hall, resulting in 145 deaths, has disrupted his plans. Muhammad now fears being caught up in the crackdown on Central Asian migrants who play a vital role in Russia’s economy.
Feeling that all their efforts to integrate into society have been negated by the attack, Muhammad expressed his concerns in a phone interview from Novosibirsk. He mentioned that he would consider returning to Tajikistan if he became a target of the police or nationalist extremists.
“I may have less to eat, but at least I’ll be in my own country, living without the fear of someone knocking on my door,” said Muhammad, whose last name is withheld for safety reasons.
In response to the terrorist attack, which was the deadliest in decades, Russian authorities have conducted raids on thousands of construction sites, dormitories, cafes, and warehouses employing and serving migrants. Thousands of foreigners have been deported after swift hearings on alleged immigration violations, and new measures to restrict immigration have been proposed.
The official crackdown has coincided with a rise in xenophobic attacks across Russia, as reported by local media and rights groups, documenting incidents of beatings, verbal abuse, and racist graffiti directed towards migrants.
This crackdown has exposed a contradiction in wartime Russia, where nationalist sentiments promoted by the government have fueled xenophobia even as foreign workers have become indispensable to the country’s war efforts.
As Russian blue-collar workers enlist to fight in Ukraine, take up positions in armaments factories, or leave the country to avoid conscription, individuals from Tajikistan and other Central Asian nations have stepped in to fill the void.
