Russia plans deportations over protest participation

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Russian State Duma adopted in first reading a bill that would allow authorities to deport foreigners and stateless persons for participating in unauthorized rallies and for “discrediting” the Russian army.

The document, submitted by the Russian government in March, was approved by lawmakers on May 13, Deutsche Welle reported.

The bill proposes adding a total of 58 new categories of administrative offenses to Russia’s Code of Administrative Violations, under which foreigners and stateless persons could be expelled from the country.

These include calls for sanctions against Russia and its citizens, public appeals violating Russia’s territorial integrity, violations of emergency, counterterrorism or martial law requirements, firing weapons in unauthorized places, disobeying law enforcement officers, as well as offenses linked to “extremism and destructive information.”

Administrative deportation is also proposed for “propaganda of extremist Nazi symbols,” incitement of hatred or hostility, and for the “abuse of media freedom for spreading dangerous information.”

State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin justified the measures as necessary to “restore order in the migration sphere.” The bill will next be considered in second and third readings.

The tightening of Russia’s migration legislation began after the March 22, 2024 terrorist attack at Crocus City Hall, which killed 150 people and injured more than 600. According to Russia’s Investigative Committee, the attack was organized by “citizens of Central Asia.”

After that, in January 2025, a law targeting sham marriages concluded for obtaining migration status entered into force. The amendments established that couples must remain married for at least three years to qualify for temporary residence permits. In addition, Russia began maintaining a registry of monitored persons that includes foreigners who lost legal grounds for staying in the country more than three months earlier.

Since February 2025, decisions on deporting foreigners in Russia have been made not by courts but by officials, including heads of police departments. In addition, migrant children have been barred from enrolling in Russian schools without passing a Russian-language exam.