A group of over 20 men gathered in front of the Novgorod State University dormitory to recorde a video address to the regional administration. They blamed the university for forming "ethnic enclaves," which they believed was aimed at profiting from these communities. This video was published on May 29 by Sergei Zubarev, a former staff member of the local branch of GTRK (All-Russia State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company).
Sergei Zubarev highlighted an incident revealed to him by a female student at the dormitory of Novgorod State University. She had been insulted by individuals with accents who allegedly threatened both her and her friend. Zubarev believes that the university intentionally fosters "enclaves" of Tajik students in order to secure more funding.
Zubarev voiced his concern about the “visible dominance” of foreign students over the Russian ones, a situation he feels inevitably stokes ethnic tensions. To substantiate his claims, he cited two instances: one involving two Tajikistani individuals reportedly hurling a bottle at a Russian girl, and another where foreign students were engaged in a late-night volleyball game.
"I hope that such incidents do not become a regular occurrence and escalate," Zubarev commented regarding the gathering of his supporters, though he did not disclose the response from the local FSB (Federal Security Service) to their video message.
A week ago, Tajik students from Komsomolsk-on-Amur made complaints about being assaulted by riot police during a document check. They reported the incident to their embassy, expressing confusion over the reasons for such treatment.
These actions against migrants may be attributed to the mounting number of grievances from locals. In one instance, residents of the town of Kotelniki near Moscow lamented the transformation of their locality into a "Tajik enclave." In Novosibirsk, a group, holding imperial flags, released a video appeal to Vladimir Putin, urging him to tighten migration policies due to alleged attacks and even killings of Russian teenagers by Tajik individuals.
