“Deadly Fire In Russia's Tatarstan Highlights Conditions For Migrant Workers”

Six people died in a fire at a migrant workers’ temporary residence in the Russian republic of Tatarstan, highlighting the increasingly difficult conditions faced by those coming to Russia seeking work.

The regional Investigative Committee said a criminal investigation into the blaze on December 24 has been opened. It added that the wooden building on a farm housed more than three dozen Uzbek migrant workers.

Migrants, especially from Central Asian countries such as Uzbekistan, have long provided desperately needed workers across Russia even though the conditions they live in can be poor.

In October, the Russian government approved a measure that cuts the quota for residence permits for foreigners in 2025 by almost half even as the number of workers entering the country has fallen to a 10-year low, exacerbating an acute labor shortage…

…many Russians turned against migrants from Central Asia after a terrorist attack at the Crocus City Hall entertainment center near Moscow in March that claimed 140 lives…

Authorities in Tatarstan have not tied the fire to the backlash. In addition to the investigation, the republic’s president, Rustam Minnikhanov, has ordered a check of housing for workers at farms in Tatarstan and pledged assistance for the victims of the fire…