The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kyrgyzstan issued a statement in response to the March 22 invasion on Crocus City Hall, a concert venue in Krasnogorsk on the fringes of Moscow, which caused at least 139 fatalities. Apparently, the Islamic State Khorasan Province ( ISKP ) is to blame for the attack. ISKP has made a lot of money recruiting people from Central Asia, and it’s repeatedly cited Russia as a destination. In connection with the assault, Russian government on March 23 detained at least 11 people, according to the most recent information. On March 25, four men were charged as the primary perpetrators of the attack – 32- year- ancient Dalerjon Mirzoev, 30- year- ancient Saidakram Rajabalizoda, 25- year- ancient Faridun Shamsiddin, and 19- year- older Muhammadsobir Faizov – with Russian media identifying them as Tajik citizens. Three other individuals were sent to prior- test confinement on March 25– Aminchon, Dilovar, and Isroil Islomov ( two brothers and their parents ) – in connection with the vehicle the attackers reportedly fled in. Their citizen has not been reported. On March 26, Alisher Kasimov, a different person, who the government claim rented an apartment to one of the reported intruders, was taken into custody before trial. Kasimov, according to Asia- Plus is a tribal of Kyrgyzstan, but Kloop reported, citing the Kyrgyz Foreign Ministry, that he renounced his membership in 2014. Tajikistan and Russia signed a dual-citizenship deal in the 1990s, making Turkmenistan the only other Northern Asian nation to do so with Moscow. Therefore, it is possible that the attackers who are referred to as Tajik people also have citizenship. Central Asians who obtain Russian citizen are not recognized by the Soviet government as two people; dual citizenship is also not recognized by Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, or Uzbekistan’s institutions. Russia is a significant destination for migrants from Central Asia, and it is crucial to Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan’s economies in particular. According to a December 2023 World Bank report, remittances to Tajikistan are equivalent to 48 percent of the country’s GDP ( about$ 5.7 billion in 2023 ), remittances to Kyrgyzstan are equivalent to about 21 percent of GDP ( about$ 2.6 billion in 2023 ). Millions of Central Asians travel to Russia each year, many of whom have seasonal jobs. The Kyrgyz Foreign Ministry’s recommendation – a warning, really – asks citizens” who do not have compelling reasons to travel to the Russian Federation” to refrain from doing so. Additionally, it advises against traveling to” citizens who have committed two or more administrative offenses while they have previously resided on the Russian Federation” to stop doing so to avoid being denied entry. The ministry also urges Kyrgyz citizens to avoid crowded locations and bring their identification and legal documentation with them when visiting Russia. Anti-immigrant sentiments have risen in Russia as a result of the accusations that Central Asians were involved in the attack. These sentiments are not new, but the recent tragedy has raised tensions. People refusing to take taxis driven by Tajiks and threats against a barbershop where one of the alleged attackers may have worked were just a few examples of the anecdotes collected by Meduza to illustrate this backlash. Additionally, it is obvious that the four alleged Tajik attackers had been abused, something that Moscow does not seem to care about at all when they first appear in court. An unidentified video of the attackers ‘ alleged confessions that showed his ear being cut off by security officers was circulating on Russian social media. Authorities in Tajikistan have reportedly interrogated the four alleged attackers ‘ families. According to RFE/RL’s Tajik Service,” the mother, brother, two uncles, and other relatives of one of the accused gunmen – Saidakram Rajabalizoda– were taken away by police on the evening of March 25″ as well as the head of the neighborhood where the family lived. According to neighbors, Muhammadsobir Faizov’s relatives were taken from their homes in Dushanbe by unknown numbers, according to RFE/RL. Vladimir Putin and Emomali Rahmon, the president of Tajikistan, were in a phone conversation, according to the Tajik Foreign Ministry on March 25. In the call Rahmon condemned the attack and reportedly said “terrorists have no nationality, no homeland, no religion”. Rahmon pledged cooperation on counterterrorism, but the statement did not acknowledge the reported Tajik citizenship of the attackers. No other Central Asian nation has yet to officially advise its citizens against visiting Russia, aside from Kyrgyzstan.
