Recently, complaints from migrants about the provocative actions of Russian border guards when crossing the border have intensified. Many migrants from Central Asia and other regions face unpleasant situations where their personal mobile devices are subject to scrutiny. This is reported by many media outlets, including Current Time.
According to migrants, Russian border guards often demand that phones be unlocked and begin to carefully review the contents. First of all, they are interested in subscriptions to pro-Ukrainian public pages on social networks and Telegram channels, personal correspondence and photographs. For example, as some lawyers note, border guards look for suspicious messages using keywords and check for connections with organizations that are considered extremist or terrorist in Russia.
Such actions often lead to serious consequences for migrants. For example, one case described in the media showed that a woman who returned to Russia was found to have donated money to the account of a Ukrainian fund. This became the basis for initiating a criminal case of treason. To make matters worse, many migrants come under suspicion simply because of their nationality or origin. After the terrorist attack at Crocus City Hall, xenophobia and aggression towards migrants from Central Asia intensified, which also affected their situation at the border and within the country.
Thus, migrants entering Russia often find themselves in a difficult situation where their personal information is subject to scrutiny, causing them anxiety and resentment. Such actions by border guards call into question respect for the rights of migrants and undermine trust in the Russian authorities.
Let us recall that in recent years, Russia’s attitude towards migrants from Central Asia has noticeably worsened, which raises serious concerns among international human rights organizations. Despite the important role of migrants in the country’s economy, Russian authorities continue to increase control and repression measures against this population group. There has been an increase in xenophobic sentiments and acts of violence against migrants. Human rights activists report numerous cases of attacks by far-right nationalists on migrants from Central Asia, accompanied by beatings and destruction of property. Instead of condemning such actions, Russian authorities conduct raids and checks on migrants, especially from Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. In addition, at Moscow airports and on the Russian-Kazakh border, migrants are detained en masse without explanation. This causes concern for governments in the region, which are forced to respond to numerous complaints from their citizens.
Migrants detained in raids complain of police brutality. They are kept in terrible conditions, without food or basic amenities. These measures are often accompanied by corrupt practices when migrants are accused of not registering, despite the actions of Russian citizens who rent out housing to them without paying taxes.
Meanwhile, international human rights organizations such as Human Rights Watch have repeatedly drawn attention to the deteriorating situation with the rights of migrants in Russia. They call on the Russian government to stop discrimination and violence against migrants and take measures to protect and integrate them. However, there are no changes yet.
According to this organization – Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, racism in Russia manifests itself both at the everyday and at the institutional level. A 2020 Human Rights Watch report noted that migrants from Central Asia and the Caucasus are often subject to discrimination and violence. According to research by the Levada Center, a significant part of the Russian population demonstrates a negative attitude towards people of other nationalities, especially towards people from Central Asia and the Caucasus. These sentiments are reinforced by media narratives and political rhetoric. And besides, on the streets of Russian cities you can often hear the offensive word “churka.”
The term is offensive and racist slang used in Russia to refer to people from the Caucasus, Central Asia and other Muslim regions. The term is deeply derogatory and is often used to express contempt and hatred. For example, in Russia there are often recorded cases where this term is used in public places, on social networks and even in official documents and speeches. The use of such language contributes to the strengthening of stereotypes and racial hatred, and the very fact that bad terms are used to people of a different nationality indicates that the calls of international organizations are ineffective, and the Russians themselves are aggressive towards other people and are ready to unleash , at a minimum, a verbal war with your neighbor.