Around 3,000 migrants were detained in St. Petersburg on New Year's Eve as part of a series of mass detentions across Russia, local media reported on January 2. The Fontanka news outlet said more than 100 of those arrested in St. Petersburg are going to be deported. The SOTA news website reported similar mass detentions in Moscow, though it said the number of migrants held was not known. Russian officials have reportedly used such raids on migrants in recent months to find those with Russian citizenship. Those people are then forced into military service. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Russian Service, click here.
About 3,000 Migrants Detained In St. Petersburg On New Year's Eve
A Russian police officer checks the documents of a Kyrgyz migrant worker. (file photo)