INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Kyrgyzstan&s foreign ministry has urged its citizens to put off unnecessary travel to Russia after a deadly mass shooting at a concert hall
near Moscow that was blamed on migrants from Central Asia, Reuters reported.Last Friday&s attack by camouflague-clad gunmen has fanned
anti-immigrant sentiment in Russia, especially towards labourers from the predominantly Muslim countries of Central Asia
Seven suspects originally from Tajikistan and one from Kyrgyzstan have been arrested and placed in pre-trial detention.Islamic State has
said it was responsible for the attack and has released video footage of the massacre, in which at least 139 people were killed and 182
Russia, without providing evidence, has said it suspects a Ukrainian link in the attack, something Kyiv strongly denies.Videos and
photographs circulated online appear to show the suspected gunmen in detention being tortured
The Kremlin declined to comment on the matter and many Russian politicians have praised the security officers involved in the detentions,
read the report.In an advisory issued this week, the Kyrgyz foreign ministry urged citizens to visit Russia only if necessary and, if they
do, to make sure they have all the required documents on them at all times and comply with lawful orders of Russian police.Authorities in
neighbouring Uzbekistan issued similar advice to any Uzbek citizens currently in Russia or planning to go there, local media
reported.Hundreds of thousands of Central Asians work in Russia, and some have already said it has become tougher for them to do so
Some passengers, for example, refuse to board taxis with Tajik drivers.Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported that many passengers trying
to fly to Moscow on Monday from the capital of Turkmenistan, another Central Asian state, were not allowed to board
It said they were told by immigration and law enforcement officials that this was connected to &the recent terrorist attack in Moscow&.Any
fall in the availability of migrant labour could cause problems for the Russian economy, which relies heavily on Central Asian workers in
sectors such as construction, retail and delivery services.Russia is suffering an overall labour shortage because of the demands of its war
in Ukraine, which led it to call up 300,000 reservists to join the army in 2022 and prompted hundreds of thousands of others to flee the
country, Reuters reported.Alexandra Prokopenko, an economist and analyst at Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, said the inflow of migrants had
&almost stopped& since the start of the war & partly because immigrants could face pressure to join the Russian army and partly because of
competition from other countries to attract them.&All these people from Central Asia can go and work in Gulf states, South Korea or Turkey &
they can get jobs and there would be no problems with money transfers because of (Western) sanctions, there would be fewer problems in terms
of safety and security, and probably local authorities would treat them better than in Russia,& she said.The head of Russia&s Orthodox
Church, Patriarch Kirill, suggested Friday&s attack was an attempt by those who wish Russia ill to stir up interreligious tensions.&An
attempt was made to pit two traditional religions (Christianity and Islam) against each other, an attempt was made to divide people
according to religious principles and also pit one against the other
Of course, we cannot allow anything like this in Russia,& the RIA news agency quoted him as saying.The post Kyrgyzstan urges citizens not to
fly to Russia unless necessary first appeared on Ariana News.
