Several apparent xenophobic incidents targeting Central Asian migrants have been reported in Russia as the country observes a day of mourning for the victims of a March 22 terrorist attack on a concert hall outside of Moscow that left 133 people dead.
Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, in a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin on March 24, condemned the attack, saying: “Terrorists have no nationality, no homeland, and no religion.”
The Tajik Embassy in Moscow has warned citizens not to leave their homes out of concerns about possible retaliatory violence.
The Russian authorities have arrested 11 people in connection with the attack, including the four alleged gunmen. Officials have said the four suspects are all foreign nationals. Unnamed officials and Telegram channels reportedly connected to the security services have suggested that the attackers may be Tajiks or Russian citizens with a Tajik background.
The Islamic State (IS) militant group has claimed responsibility for the attack, in which at least 154 people were also injured.
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Why Would Islamic State Attack Russia?
In the Russian Far Eastern city of Blagoveshchennsk, a cafe owned by Central Asians was reportedly burned down, several Russian Telegram channels reported.
In the western city of Kaluga, three Tajik migrants were assaulted, and one was hospitalized.
In the Moscow region, a group of young people threw four Tajik migrants out of a commuter train after reportedly threatening to kill them.
The Russian Telegram channel Baza reported that some Interior Ministry regional branches have set up special units to police migrants, stepping up document checks and inspections of dormitories and other places where Central Asian migrants congregate.
SEE ALSO: Suspects In Russian Concert Attack Sent To Pretrial DetentionThe Democratic Party of Tajikistan and some members of the Tajik parliament have urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to take measures to prevent xenophobic violence.
Hundreds of thousands of Tajik citizens and Russian citizens of Tajik background reside in Russia.
IS issued a statement of responsibility not long after the attack and on March 23 published pixelated photos of four men it claimed were the attackers.
The group said they had dealt a "heavy blow" with assault rifles and explosives by targeting "Christians" as part of a "raging war" against countries fighting Islam.