Russia denying entry to thousands from Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, not just Tajikistan, lawyer says

After days of denying hundreds of Tajikistani citizens entry into Russia at airports and the border, the Russian authorities have begun barring citizens of Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan from entering as well, human rights lawyer Valentina Chupik told the outlet Agentstvo.

According to Chupik, Russia has never denied entry to foreign citizens at the border on such a large scale. As of May 1, she said, about 4,500 people had gotten stranded in Russian airports and about the same number had been turned away at border crossings.

About 25 percent of the people turned away or detained are citizens of Tajikistan, Chupik said, while about half of them are from Uzbekistan and the majority of the rest are from Kyrgyzstan. Most of the detainees are reportedly sent back within two days, but some people have been stuck for as long as a week.

Chupik also said that most of the people being denied entry to Russia have previously traveled to the country for work.

Kyrgyzstan’s and Uzbekistans foreign ministries have not commented publicly on the situation. Last week, Tajikistan’s foreign ministry summoned Russia's ambassador to Tajikistan to discuss the sharp rise in Tajikistani citizens being denied entry to Russia.