Russia starts closing en masse cafés and restaurants opened by migrants

In Russia, cafés and restaurants opened by migrants began to close en masse. This began after a terrorist attack in which several citizens of Tajikistan were accused, as well as the anti-migrant campaign that began in Russia after it.

Over the past month, police have sharply increased checks on visitors, mainly immigrants from Central Asian countries. Because of this, many migrants have already left Russia or refused to visit public places, including cafes. Owners of cafes and restaurants are suffering losses; many were forced to stop working. Police checks of cafes and restaurants frequented by migrants have also become more frequent, which is also not conducive to business.

“Many restaurants and cafes are now closed because the police came and checked often. I don’t know how it is in other cities, but in Moscow 75 percent of cafes, small and large, have closed,” an Uzbek migrant Sardor, who lives in Moscow, said.

Sardor also had a café in Moscow, and after the terrorist attack he had to suspend work. He says that the bulk of his clients are from Central Asia. After the terrorist attack, the pressure on visitors increased significantly, and there were significantly fewer clients in his catering facility.