Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) has announced the dismantling of a migrant smuggling network allegedly orchestrated by a university professor from Nigeria.
This crackdown on Thursday September 19, 2024, highlights the ongoing challenges of illegal immigration and human trafficking in the region.
“The illegal activities of an interregional group specializing in the paid entry and transit of immigrants from the African continent through Russian territory to EU countries have been thwarted,” the FSB stated, according to the state-run news agency TASS.
The group’s alleged leader, a senior lecturer at the engineering academy of the People’s Friendship University of Russia (RUDN), was identified as the mastermind behind this extensive smuggling operation.
Although the FSB did not disclose his name, it confirmed that five key members of the network, consisting of Russian, Nigerian, and Ukrainian nationals, have been detained.
The investigation into the smuggling ring revealed that it had generated at least 60 million rubles (approximately $650,000) since 2021, primarily by providing fake Russian residence papers and visas through fictitious marriages and paternity documents.
The scale of the operation raises concerns about the exploitation of vulnerable individuals seeking better opportunities in Europe.
Footage released by TASS captured FSB agents in action, conducting a series of raids that included searches of homes and outdoor areas.
In one notable interrogation, a man confessed to entering into a fictitious marriage with a Nigerian woman, exposing the lengths to which individuals were willing to go to facilitate illegal immigration.
Among the significant outcomes of the operation, the FSB reported the rescue of three Russian nationals who had been held captive and “exploited” by the smugglers during one of the 25 raids conducted in the Vladimir region. These individuals have since been handed over to the police for further assistance and protection.
This announcement from the FSB comes in the wake of Finland’s controversial decision last year to close its border with Russia, amid accusations that Moscow was leveraging migrants from Africa and the Middle East as part of a “hybrid attack.”
The Kremlin has firmly denied these allegations, yet the situation continues to highlight the complexities surrounding migration and national security in the region.