Dozens of foreign workers detained in Russia's St. Petersburg after raids

Nearly 100 foreign nationals were detained in St. Petersburg following police inspections at construction sites in the south-west of the city, the press service of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region reported on September 29.

According to the statement, quoted by Russian media, police carried out a preventive raid in the Krasnoselsky and Petrodvorets districts. A total of 98 foreigners were taken to police stations for verification, as they did not have proper documents confirming the legality of their residence and employment in Russia.

The checks revealed that 48 of the workers were illegally employed at construction sites while formally registered with other organisations. The Migration Service is now considering revoking their work permits.

Another 24 foreign citizens were found to have violated registration requirements and were subjected to administrative liability. Five others face possible deportation. Overall, about 300 migrants were identified at the inspected sites.

The latest raids come against the backdrop of renewed debate in Russia over migrant labour policy. On September 18, President Vladimir Putin suggested that the country might consider abolishing the current labour patent system, which regulates the employment of foreign workers.

Putin’s remarks followed comments from Economic Development Minister Maksim Reshetnikov, who said on September 17 that Russia would eventually reduce reliance on migrant workers, even amid a domestic labour shortage.

Earlier this year, on March 20, Putin signed a decree allowing foreign citizens to work in Russia without a permit if they meet a number of requirements. These include mandatory fingerprinting, medical examinations for drug use, and testing for dangerous infectious diseases.

The Ministry of Labour has also proposed its own reforms to tighten regulation. Among the suggestions were restricting visa-free entry for certain categories of foreign nationals and revising the patent system. One proposal would require that, if a migrant worker is dismissed, expenses such as medical checks and training costs be reimbursed.

Currently, the labour patent system allows citizens of specific visa-free countries to work legally in Russia. It is designed both to regulate the flow of migrant labour and to protect the rights of foreign employees.

By Tamilla Hasanova