They went out for a bathhouse: Russia and Kyrgyzstan quarreled over a roundup of migrants

A conflict broke out between Russia and Kyrgyzstan over a raid on migrants in a Moscow bathhouse. Bishkek declared a violation of the EAEU norms and handed a protest note to the Russian ambassador. The Russian Foreign Ministry responded by saying that foreigners were suspected of having links with radicals. On April 17, a meeting of the ombudsmen of the two countries was held in Moscow. Details can be found in the Izvestia article.

The police came to the bathhouse with a raid

Security forces raided the Bodost bathhouse in northern Moscow on April 11. According to the Interior Ministry, 59 foreigners were detained during the raid, 25 of them turned out to be violators of migration laws, and they will be expelled from the country. "The investigation also found that six people were engaged in labor activities without concluding employment contracts. The issue of bringing them to administrative responsibility is being resolved in relation to their employer," the Interior Ministry said in a statement.

At the same time, information appeared on social networks that local residents had long complained about the bathhouse. "The establishment accepted payment exclusively in cash, there were only taxi drivers from the contingent. After the raid, the institution itself was shut down because it operated illegally and without proper documents and permits," one of the publications says.

Photo: RIA Novosti/Dmitry Makeev

In turn, deputy of the Kyrgyz Parliament Zhanar Akayev said that the bath complex belongs to his compatriot. According to him, law enforcement officers conducted the arrest rather harshly. He also posted recordings captured by surveillance cameras. The footage shows that some men in balaclavas and with red armbands are laying half-naked visitors face down, forcing them to crawl.

On April 17, a meeting of the Ombudsmen of Kyrgyzstan and Russia was held in Moscow. Kyrgyz human rights activist Jamila Dzhamanbayeva said that watching the video footage raises questions about the proportionality and justification of the use of force. Her Russian counterpart, Tatiana Moskalkova, explained that the situation in the country requires increased vigilance. She also said that in connection with the incident in the bathhouse, she contacted the prosecutor's office and the migration service of the Russian Federation, who began checking.

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Bishkek is outraged by the incident

This story has become widespread in Kyrgyzstan. The country's Foreign Ministry handed a protest note to Russian Ambassador Sergey Vakunov and demanded to investigate the actions of the security forces. "A request was expressed to take effective measures to protect the rights of citizens of the Kyrgyz Republic and prevent such a situation from happening again, which could damage Kyrgyz-Russian relations," the official statement said.

The Ministry of Labor of Kyrgyzstan called the incident a violation of the basic principle of the EAEU on the free movement of workers. "Of particular concern is the fact that the issue of compliance with the principle of free movement of labor resources of the EAEU member states is becoming categorical, sometimes ultimatum—like," the officials stressed. The Ministry of Labor noted that the victims were asked to write statements about the actions of the security forces, but all refused.

Photo: RIA Novosti/Ilya Naimushin

Against this background, the country's Foreign Minister Jeenbek Kulubayev said that the republic is thinking about finding alternative sources of oil and petroleum products. According to him, Russian fuel can allegedly be replaced with supplies from Azerbaijan and Iran. He also added that he had repeatedly urged the country's citizens to look for work in their homeland. "We say 'don't go,' but our guys are leaving anyway, there are still a lot of problems in this direction," he complained.

In response to the claims, the Russian Interior Ministry said that the check was carried out by police officers together with colleagues from the FSB and Rosgvardiya. "Additionally, we inform you that no illegal actions have been committed by the police, and there have been no complaints to the territorial internal affairs bodies of the city of Moscow. Measures aimed at countering illegal migration will be continued," the statement said.

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In turn, the Russian Foreign Ministry stressed that the inspection of the bath complex was planned, and it was necessary to use force during the raid because foreigners resisted. The ministry also stated that some migrants may have links to radical groups. "There is a clear disregard for the laws of the Russian Federation by these individuals, and a desire to set themselves against our society and the state," the Foreign Ministry said.

What the experts say

Igor Shestakov, a Kyrgyz political scientist and director of the Oh Ordo Center for Expert Initiatives, emphasizes that the incident in the sauna received a great response.

— This story is being discussed very widely in our country, I don't remember anything like this in recent years. To summarize the numerous statements and opinions, there are two main ideas. One is that migrants need to leave Russia urgently. The second is about the uselessness of the EAEU for Kyrgyzstan, because one of the principles of the organization is the free movement of labor resources. Probably, after some time, the hype will settle down at the official level, the officials will be able to come to an agreement. But the sediment, as they say, will remain, this situation will be in the hands of those forces that would like to oust Russia from the region," he notes.

Photo: RIA Novosti/Vladislav Vodnev

Alexander Kobrinsky, director of the Agency for Ethnonational Strategies, believes that the Kyrgyz side should not be outraged.

— Half of the detainees turned out to be illegal migrants, none of them filed a single complaint about the actions of the security forces. Russia is putting its territory in order and demanding compliance with its legislation. The situation seems to be transparent and quite understandable. But for some reason Bishkek considered it necessary for itself to intervene in these processes. Perhaps our diplomats should somehow make it clear to their Kyrgyz colleagues that they are wrong," he says.