Kyrgyz people working in Russia are being actively targeted by recruiters of militant groups who want them to carry out violent acts, Kyrgyzstan's labour ministry said on Thursday.
Hundreds of thousands of people from the Muslim Central Asian nation of Kyrgyzstan work in Russia © Mena Today
Kyrgyz people working in Russia are being actively targeted by recruiters of militant groups who want them to carry out violent acts, Kyrgyzstan's labour ministry said on Thursday.
Seven suspects from Tajikistan and one from neighbouring Kyrgyzstan have been arrested in connection with Friday's mass shooting at a concert hall near Moscow.
Hundreds of thousands of people from the Muslim Central Asian nation of Kyrgyzstan work in Russia, and the Kyrgyz labour ministry said militant recruiters were targeting them via social networks, messaging apps and dating websites.
Last week's attack by camouflague-clad gunmen has fanned anti-immigrant sentiment in Russia, especially towards labourers from the mainly Muslim former Soviet republics of Central Asia.
Kyrgyzstan's government this week urged its citizens not to travel to Russia unless necessary, and so has Uzbekistan, another big source of migrant labourers in Russia.
Islamic State has said it was responsible for the attack and has released video footage of the massacre, in which at least 143 people were killed. Russia, without providing evidence, has said it suspects a Ukrainian link in the attack, something Kyiv strongly denies.
Reporting by Olzhas Auyezov
Kaja Kallas, who resigned as Estonia's prime minister on Monday to become the European Union's next foreign policy chief, is known for her tough stance on Russia, which may raise doubts as to whether she can represent views from across the bloc.
In a country already on edge, the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump has enraged his supporters, paused the Democratic campaign and raised fears of further political violence in the run-up to November's election.
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