New bill would add ‘disobeying a border guard’ to Russia’s list of deportable offenses
State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin has announced plans to expand the grounds on which migrants can be deported from Russia. Writing in his Telegram channel on July 6, Volodin said a bill to that effect is expected to reach lawmakers within days.
Under the proposal, migrants would be subject to deportation for “disobeying a lawful order or demand from a military service member in connection with the performance of duties to guard the state border of the Russian Federation.”
The list of deportable offenses would also grow to cover “discrimination — the violation of the rights, freedoms, and legitimate interests of a person based on sex, race, skin color, nationality, language, age, or religion,” Volodin said.
The amendments, he said, would contribute to “improving public safety and bringing order to the migration sphere.”
In March 2026, Russia’s Interior Ministry drafted a bill that would make expulsion mandatory for foreign nationals who commit 20 types of violations. Among the proposed grounds were violating the requirements of an emergency regime, participating in the activities of a foreign or international “undesirable” organization, taking part in unauthorized rallies, coercing others to join or refrain from joining a strike, and committing petty hooliganism by disobeying police officers.
Russian authorities began tightening migration policy after the terrorist attack at the Crocus City Hall concert venue outside Moscow in March 2024. Officials also introduced a registry of monitored individuals — which people can land on by mistake — and a mandatory Russian-language test that foreign children must pass to enroll in school.
Authorities also restricted the simplified residency permits available to foreign nationals married to Russian citizens. Under a Finance Ministry initiative proposed in February 2026, migrants’ children would have to obtain their own work permit when they turn 18 — or leave Russia, unless they have other legal grounds to stay.
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