FSB Busts Major Scheme for Illegal Migrant Legalization in Moscow

The Federal Security Service of Russia (FSB) has exposed an extensive scheme for the legalization of migrants that involved falsifying employment contracts for over 53,000 foreign nationals in Moscow and the surrounding areas, as reported by Interfax on Wednesday.

Twelve individuals from Russia have been placed in pre-trial custody on charges related to the organization of illegal migration.

If convicted of facilitating illegal migration, they may face sentences of up to 10 years in prison.

Among those implicated, a 37-year-old from Odesa, a city in southwestern Ukraine, was identified as a key figure. During searches, FSB operatives discovered an undisclosed number of Bulgarian and Ukrainian passports in his possession.

Interfax did not release any video recordings of the arrests.

The group is accused of unlawfully aiding in the legalization of 53,197 foreign individuals in Moscow and the Moscow region.

The FSB stated that those who received the counterfeit employment contracts have been identified and will be deported from Russia, along with a ban on their re-entry.

Following the Crocus City Hall attack in March 2024, Russia has intensified its efforts to regulate its migrant populace by tightening immigration laws, establishing municipal and regional employment bans in specific sectors, and increasing deportations.

Migrant workers primarily come to Russia from Central Asian countries such as Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan, as well as Armenia from the South Caucasus.

According to Russian authorities, over 128,000 breaches of immigration laws have been reported so far in 2025, with more than 19,000 actions taken towards administrative expulsions and deportations of foreigners.

Additionally, around 4,800 criminal investigations have been initiated concerning the organization of illegal migration during the same timeframe, as noted by Russia’s Interior Ministry.