In a major crackdown, Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) has dismantled a migrant smuggling network allegedly led by a Nigerian university professor. The operation targeted an inter-regional group that facilitated the illegal entry and transit of immigrants from Africa through Russia to European Union countries.
The suspected leader, a senior lecturer at the engineering academy of the People’s Friendship University of Russia (RUDN), remains unnamed. However, five key members of the smuggling network, including nationals from Russia, Nigeria, and Ukraine, have been detained.
Investigations are ongoing to identify additional accomplices, as the smuggling ring is accused of generating at least 60 million rubles (approximately $650,000) since 2021. The smugglers used fraudulent Russian residence permits and visas, often involving fake marriages and paternity claims.
Footage released by the state-run news agency TASS shows FSB agents conducting raids, including searches of homes and outdoor areas. In one interrogation, a man confessed to entering into a sham marriage with a Nigerian woman.
Three Russian nationals who had been held captive and exploited by the smugglers were rescued during one of the 25 raids in the Vladimir region and have since been handed over to the police.
This announcement comes amid tensions between Russia and Finland, which closed its border with Russia last year alleging that Moscow was using migrants from Africa and the Middle East as part of a “hybrid attack”. The Kremlin has denied these claims.
