The Tajik diaspora in Russia lives under fear and anxiety

In the days following the terrorist attack at the Crocus City Hall concert hall near Moscow, innocent Tajik immigrants across Russia have faced increased threats, verbal abuse and the attention of law enforcement agencies. Discrimination against not only Tajiks, but also other representatives of the Central Asian diaspora has increased.

It has always been difficult for European or "non-Slavic" people to find an apartment in the Russian capital, and now it will be even more difficult. Atovullo, a 35-year-old Tajik living in Moscow, told Eurasianet that his landlord threw him out without explanation immediately after the Crocus tragedy.

"For the past years, the situation in Russia was difficult. <...> Now it is impossible to walk on the street, everyone is afraid of you, avoids you," said Atovullo in an interview with Eurasianet.

Atovulla said that he decided to return to Tajikistan mainly because he is afraid that his young children will be forced to live in a hostile environment.

According to official data of 2023, about 1.3 million Tajiks will live in Russia. However, this number may increase at the expense of Tajiks living informally. Also, many Tajiks have already received Russian citizenship.

In the wake of the Crocus tragedy, new calls for mass deportation of immigrants have appeared on social media, sometimes with more radical statements. People ordering a ride through taxi apps began asking if the driver was Tajik before agreeing to accept the order.

Nekruz, a 23-year-old Tajik who works part-time at Yandex Taxi in St. Petersburg, says dozens of potential customers ask him where he is from. Knowing that he is from Tajikistan, they are canceling the order.

"A handful of people disgraced an entire nation. Now they are looking at us like we are cursed, " he told Eurasianet. " When you walk in the city, you don't feel safe. "In closed groups on social networks, you can see comments where people create groups and want to take revenge," he added.

Dilorom, another Tajik living in Russia , said that he was looking back because of fear.

"I don't go out and I don't go to work on Mondays," he said in an interview. "If I fall into the hands of angry people [xenophobes], I am not sure that I will get out alive."

The Embassy of Tajikistan in Moscow called on the citizens of Tajikistan not to go to crowded places.