By Hammad Kahlon
SNN News Finland
Russian security forces cordoned off a block near Sennoy Market in central St Petersburg and detained several dozen people in an immigration raid that also served military registration summonses, according to the state news agency TASS and journalists at the scene.
The operation on Moskovsky Prospekt took place after Friday prayers and involved OMON riot police alongside regular officers.
What happened at Sennoy Market
The cordoned block includes a prayer room attended by about 1,000 worshippers, a law enforcement source told TASS. Officers also checked nearby hostels and cafes, the agency reported.
Journalists who witnessed the raid said several dozen people were detained. Officers inspected registration documents, migration cards and work permits, in what officials described as an immigration enforcement operation.
Enlistment officers took part in the same operation. According to the TASS source, they checked whether people who had recently acquired Russian citizenship had registered with the military. “So far, several dozen people have been identified and served summonses to report to a military enlistment office for registration,” the source said.
Why enlistment officers joined the raid
Bringing military registration officers into an immigration sweep is a notable feature of the operation. Under Russian law, newly naturalised citizens are required to register with the military, and failure to do so carries penalties.
Rights groups and independent Russian media have documented repeated attempts to draw migrants and foreign nationals into military service since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In July 2024, Novaya Gazeta Europe reported that Russia was increasingly using underhand methods to lure migrants and foreigners into fighting.
Illegal recruitment has been reported before at marketplaces and warehouses. In December 2023, The Moscow Times reported that police raided a warehouse in search of war recruits. Independent outlets have since described recruiters operating in migrant-heavy districts of major cities.
What has not been confirmed
SNN Finland has not independently verified how many people were detained, how many summonses were issued, or whether anyone was formally conscripted as a result of the operation. TASS attributed its figures to an unnamed law enforcement source, and casualty-style totals from such raids are rarely published.
It is also unclear how many of those detained were Russian citizens and how many held foreign passports or residence permits. Russian authorities have not published a full account of the raid, and the interior ministry did not issue a detailed statement.
Key facts
- OMON riot police cordoned off a block on Moskovsky Prospekt near Sennoy Market in St Petersburg.
- The block includes a prayer room attended by about 1,000 worshippers, a TASS source said.
- Several dozen people were detained, according to journalists at the scene.
- Officers checked registration documents, migration cards and work permits, and also searched hostels and cafes.
- Enlistment officers served some newly naturalised citizens with orders to report for military registration.
- St Petersburg
FAQs
Where did the raid take place?
Near Sennoy Market on Moskovsky Prospekt, in central St Petersburg, an area with a large migrant population and several prayer rooms.
Was this a mobilisation round-up?
Officially it was described as an immigration enforcement operation. The involvement of enlistment officers, who served military registration summonses to newly naturalised citizens, means it also functioned as a military registration check.
How many people were detained?
Journalists reported several dozen detentions. TASS said several dozen people had been identified and served summonses to report to a military enlistment office. SNN Finland could not independently confirm the totals.
Are migrants being recruited to fight in Ukraine?
Independent Russian media and rights groups have documented repeated efforts to recruit migrants and foreign nationals, including reports of recruitment at markets and warehouses.
Related SNN Finland reporting includes EU Tourist Visas for Russians: Finland Seeks Full Ban and EU Sanctions on Russia: 826 Entities, 743 People Hit. The raid was first reported in English by Meduza, and previous recruitment raids were documented by The Moscow Times.
How this fits Russia’s wider manpower drive
The raid is the latest sign of pressure on migrant communities in Russia. Recruitment campaigns, higher sign-up bonuses and regional drives have been used to fill military ranks, while immigration enforcement has increasingly been used as a channel to identify men of conscription age.
For migrant workers, the combination is significant: an immigration check can now lead directly to a military registration summons. Community groups say such operations deepen fear among Central Asian and other foreign workers, many of whom send remittances home.
The timing matters for the wider region as well. Russia’s labour shortages and its reliance on migrant workers have become more visible as recruitment continues, and European governments — including Finland — have tightened visa and border rules in response to the war.
Editor’s note: SNN Finland verified the sourcing in this report through named news agencies and eyewitness accounts. Figures attributed to unnamed official sources remain unconfirmed. Verified by Scandinavian News Agency Finland.
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