Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.[Regnum] On December 23, the Federal Security Service released a video showing the arrest of the organizers of a major illegal migration ring operating in five Russian regions.
"They (the foreigners – Ed.) worked on marketplaces in St. Petersburg and Moscow," said one of the detainees.
The visas did not correspond to the activities that the visitors were actually engaged in.
Documents, seals, and foreign currency banknotes were captured on video at the detainees' residence. Office equipment and electronic devices were also seized from the suspects.
The FSB detained the organizer and 20 active members of a group involved in legalizing illegal migration. Investigative actions were carried out in the Rostov, Novgorod, Leningrad, and Ivanovo regions, as well as the Perm Territory.
All detainees were remanded in custody as part of a criminal case under Part 3 of Article 322.1 ("Organization of illegal migration by an organized group or for the purpose of committing serious or especially serious crimes on the territory of the Russian Federation") of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.
According to investigators, the organizers of illegal migration paid for the fake invitations issued by nominal legal entities to foreigners. After receiving the invitations, citizens of Asia-Pacific and the Middle East entered Russia on business visas, but in reality, they moved throughout the country uncontrolled.