Russian government preparing new anti-migrant legislation amid tensions

The Russian government’s lower parliamentary chamber will review a draft law which, if passed, will lead to further restrictions and stricter penalties for migrants in Russia, Russian state-affiliated business daily Kommersant reported on Tuesday.

Officials from the Russian Interior Ministry have put forward amendments to the country’s existing migration policy that will increase penalties for migrants, including harsher fines and broadened grounds for deportation.

To be included in the list of new offences punishable by deportation are participation in unauthorised rallies, abuse of media freedom, and minor hooliganism committed while refusing to comply with police orders. Furthermore, the amendments would see fines for illegal labour activity or illegal employment rise from 2,000-5,000 rubles (€22-54) to 4,000-7,000 rubles (€43 - 76).

The Interior Ministry justified these new measures, citing both a rise in instances of unrest involving foreigners and increased illegality in the labour market. However, narratives around rising crime among migrants have seen contradictions between government sources in the past. For example, in 2025 Investigative Committee Head Alexander Bastrykin said that migrant crime had risen sharply, but data from the Interior Ministry at the time showed that it was falling.

The Russian government has sought to reform its migration policy, and on Monday, speaking on other legislation that will expand the tax burden of migrants, State Duma house speaker Vyacheslav Volodin said that since 2024, 22 federal laws had been introduced “aimed at improving migration policy”. The Crocus City Hall terrorist attacks, allegedly perpetrated by Central Asian migrants in March 2024, is seen by many experts as the catalyst for Russia’s anti-migrant turn.