Russia's State Duma has adopted in its final reading a law that increases from 22 to 45 the number of articles of the Code of Administrative Offenses under which foreigners, in addition to fines, may face deportation from Russia, according to Mediazona, Meduza and The Insider.
Deportation can now be applied, among other things, for 'discrediting' the Russian army (Article 20.3.3 of the Administrative Code), participation in unauthorized rallies (Articles 20.2, 20.2.2 and 5.38), calls for sanctions against Russia (Article 20.3.4), displaying banned symbols (Article 20.3), and distributing 'extremist materials' (Article 20.29).
The list also includes petty hooliganism, disobeying police and border guards, obstructing traffic, violating a state of emergency or martial law, and discrimination. Separately, the law increases fines for violating border-crossing rules, the regime of stay in the country, and illegal labor activity by migrants.
At the same time, the Duma adopted a law banning the granting of citizenship, residency permits or temporary residence permits to foreigners who have an unexpunged or unspent criminal record — both in Russia and abroad. A certificate of no criminal record from the age of 14 will be required when applying for documents to reside in Russia. Exceptions are made for refugees, children, and foreigners serving under contract in the Russian army or who have participated in combat operations as part of it.
As The Insider notes, the new law continues a general trend toward tightening migration policy. Since 2024, according to the outlet's calculations, there have been at least 15 publicly known cases in which Muslims were fined or expelled from Russia for praying outside a mosque, classified as a violation of missionary activity. The initiators of such prosecutions were often Z-channels and far-right movements, in particular the 'Russian Community,' whose activists participate in raids together with the police.