MOSCOW, August 25 (RIA Novosti) – Information about crimes committed by migrants in Russia should be covered by their national communities and the media of their home countries, Russian Investigative Committee spokesman Vladimir Markin said in an interview with RIA Novosti.
"It is possible that in order to change the situation, it would make sense to cover crimes with the help of national communities, the official representative offices of the CIS countries or through the media in the home countries of the suspects. In our opinion, this can be a significant deterrent against crimes committed by migrants," Markin said.
The data for the last year showed that one-third of migrants who are criminal defendants remained in Russia illegally. At the same time, the number of cases of grave and especially grave crimes committed by migrants has increased.
Many migrants are working in Russia illegally and are employed in the shadow economy. About 600,000 migrants who are without visas are violating their leave to remain Russia. At the same time, migrants are often poorly integrated into Russian society and ethnic criminality often develops because of illegal migration. Crimes committed by migrants have also provoked a number of major riots in Moscow in the last few years.
At the same time, the authorities are attempting to help the migrants adapt to Russian society. A mandatory exam in the Russian language, Russian history and law has been introduced for migrant workers.
The Federal Migration Service has launched a pilot project to open integration centers for migrants in areas where they reside.
Foreigners are being trained for the exam while still being employed, and the brightest of them are promised a residence permit and even a Russian passport. National and religious groups are also working with authorities to help migrants integrate.
