Anti-migrant raid targets Wildberries warehouse outside Moscow

Police raided the warehouse of online retailer Wildberries in Elektrostal, near Moscow, on Friday morning, according to state-run news agency TASS, which attributed the action to ongoing attempts to tackle illegal immigration.

“Scores of law enforcement officers entered the Wildberries warehouse in Elektrostal to conduct an illegal migration inspection,” a law enforcement source told TASS, adding that staff documents were checked and that similar raids were being conducted in several other regions of the country.

According to Telegram channels Baza and SHOT, the police were hunting for draft-dodgers as well as illegal migrants. Some detainees were reportedly handed call-up papers.

“There’s a raid. Nobody can leave or enter. They’re demanding ID, military and immigration papers all at once,” the Beware, Moscow Telegram channel reported, quoting eyewitnesses.

According to Telegram channel Mash, police had already detained some migrants near the warehouse on Thursday. Of those, 16 were reportedly in the Russian Federation illegally, three of whom are now awaiting deportation.

According to Beware, Moscow, the raid will last all day, and the Wildberries facility will remain closed.