In 2024, over 80,000 migrants were deported from Russia for violating migration regulations, TASS reports, citing sources in the Federal Bailiff Service (FSSP). The deportations were ordered by the courts.

In comparison, more than 44,200 foreign citizens and stateless persons were deported from Russia in 2023 to 60 countries. In 2022, the figure was 26,600 deportees to 47 countries. From 2017 to 2022, approximately 200,000 migrants were deported from Russia for violating migration and labor laws.

In 2023 alone, 23,000 migrants were expelled from Moscow and the Moscow Region. All were found guilty of administrative violations under Article 18.8 of the Russian Administrative Code, which concerns breaches of entry or stay regulations. These individuals are barred from re-entering Russia for the next five years.

Stricter migration controls

Migration control in Russia intensified after the March 22, 2024 terrorist attack at Crocus City Hall, which was allegedly carried out by Tajik citizens.

More than 10 Russian regions have imposed bans on migrant labor. These include Novosibirsk, Samara, Tula, Magadan, Chelyabinsk, Kaluga, Tyumen, and Amur Regions, as well as Crimea, the Amur Basin, and others.

On December 30, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree requiring migrants illegally present in Russia to leave the country by April 30, 2025, or resolve their legal status.

Starting February 5, 2025, a migration expulsion regime will be introduced in Russia. One of the laws signed by the president allows the Ministry of Internal Affairs to deport migrants without a court decision, a power previously limited to courts and border services.