Foreign intelligence services are increasingly using migrants from Central Asia residing in Russia to carry out sabotage and terrorist activities, according to Yuri Kokov, Deputy Secretary of Russia’s Security Council.
"In recent times, there has been growing activity by foreign intelligence agencies and international terrorist organizations under their control to recruit Central Asian migrants in Russia for involvement in sabotage and terrorist operations," Kokov said in an interview with Rossiyskaya Gazeta.
He noted that analysis suggests a significant number of Central Asian migrants hold radical religious views formed in their home countries under the influence of popular Islamist preachers.
Kokov cited results from a sociological study conducted by Russia’s Federal Protective Service (FSO) among labor migrants:
43.5% of respondents said they preferred Sharia law over secular legislation,
24% were willing to participate in protests to defend their right to live according to religious norms in Russia,
15.3% expressed readiness to take part in unlawful political actions.
“As a result, conditions are emerging for the formation of stable diaspora groups and ethnic enclaves that resist assimilation into Russian society, prioritize national traditions and religious doctrines over secular law, and are willing to defend their beliefs by any means, including illegal ones,” Kokov warned.
He emphasized that both federal and regional authorities are conducting systematic efforts to monitor compliance with immigration regulations and combat illegal migration. “As a result of these measures, over 267,000 individuals were banned from entering Russia in 2024, and more than 152,000 were deported,” Kokov said.
He added that security agencies are actively conducting preventive and investigative operations within migrant communities to detect and neutralize terrorist threats. In addition, outreach programs involving clergy from traditional religious groups aim to educate migrants about Russian law and prevent radicalization influenced by extremist ideologies.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Dmitry Astakhov/TASS
Based on TASS materials