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Russia's Migrant Crackdown Expands With Mandatory Mobile Tracking

Russia is preparing to launch a sweeping new system to monitor migrant workers, combining biometric registration, location tracking, and intensified police oversight.

"To be honest, we're not surprised," Dilshod Abdurakhmon, an expert on migration, told RFE/RL's Russian Service.He said the move is part of a broader strategy to pressure foreign workers into signing military contracts. Alexander Bastrykin, head of Russia's Investigative Committee, recently announced joint raids with the Interior Ministry and National Guard targeting areas where migrants gather. In Russia, the war in Ukraine and recent terrorist attacks like one in March 2024 on the Crocus City Hall entertainment complex in a Moscow suburb have led to unprecedented pressure on migrant workers.

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