The employment of migrants in the trade sector may be banned in Saint Petersburg.
This is being cited as the reason for the murder that occurred at the end of January at the "City Mall" shopping center, with one of the suspects being a citizen of Uzbekistan.
An initiative to ban migrants from working in retail and wholesale stores is being discussed in St. Petersburg. This issue was added to the agenda following a tragedy at a shopping center at the end of January.
It is reported that the incident occurred at the Perekrestok supermarket in the City Mall shopping center. A physical altercation arose during a dispute between two security guards and a 24-year-old customer suspected of theft; although the victim was taken to the hospital, it was not possible to save his life.
The Russian Investigative Committee has assessed this case as a group murder. It is reported that one of the guards is a citizen of Uzbekistan who fled the investigation and is wanted.
The initiative was put forward by Roman Plugin, head of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region, in his annual report submitted to the city parliament. He emphasized that some retail chains are formally employing migrants in other positions, thereby circumventing existing restrictions.
Following the incident, law enforcement agencies conducted inspections regarding compliance with immigration legislation in retail chains. It was reported that during recent raids, 64 illegal migrants were identified.
Furthermore, according to current legislation, foreign citizens are prohibited from working in private security companies. The new law is planned to come into force on September 1, 2026.
According to Plugin's information, among the approximately five thousand employees working in stores under a license in 2025, there were also migrants working illegally. In this regard, an initiative is being developed to completely ban labor migrants in the retail and wholesale trade sector.
It is noted that in St. Petersburg, restrictions have already been introduced on migrants from visa-free countries—including Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, Moldova, and Ukraine—working in taxi and delivery services.
