On Thursday, Russia‘s Federal Security Service (FSB) announced that its agents had dismantled a migrant smuggling network reportedly led by a Nigerian university professor.
According to the FSB, 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 Moscow Times reports that the suspected leader is a senior lecturer at the engineering academy of the People’s Friendship University of Russia (RUDN).
While the FSB did not reveal the said Nigerian professor’s name, they confirmed the detention of five key members of the smuggling network, which includes nationals from Russia, Nigeria, and Ukraine.
The FSB said 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 through fraudulent Russian residence permits and visas, often involving fake marriages and paternity claims.
A state-run news agency, TASS reportedly released footage showing FSB agents conducting raids, including searches of homes and outdoor areas.
During one interrogation, a man confessed to entering into a sham marriage with a Nigerian woman.
Among the findings, the FSB reported that 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 in the wake of Finland’s decision last year to close its border with Russia, alleging that Moscow was using migrants from Africa and the Middle East as part of a “hybrid attack,” a claim the Kremlin has denied.
