Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) is conducting additional “filtering” checks on Tajik and Uzbek citizens at airports, including interviews, document reviews and inspections of mobile phones, according to a report based on nine court decisions reviewed by the Telegram channel Ostorojno, novosti. In some cases, the checks ended in entry bans, the channel said. The wave of inspections at Moscow airports is linked to tighter security after the March 2024 Crocus City Hall attack and has continued into 2025, according to the report.
Key Takeaways: The checks reportedly cover phone data, YouTube viewing history and messenger chats; deleted messages or a button phone in one case were cited as grounds for refusing entry. In summer 2025, TASS reported, citing court decisions, that some Tajik and Uzbek citizens were barred from Russia after subscriptions to pages of terrorist and extremist organisations were found on their phones.
According to the documents, border “filtering” includes questioning and mobile phone inspections. Foreigners are said to hand their phones to FSB officers voluntarily, but the risk of being denied entry makes that “voluntariness” conditional in practice. The checks are used to decide whether a foreign national may enter the country. The practice adds administrative and legal pressure on Central Asian migration flows and raises concerns for people travelling to Russia for work or to visit relatives.
Ostorojno, novosti reported that during “filtering” Russian special service officers often examined YouTube viewing histories and looked for “videos banned on the territory of the Russian Federation.” Deleted messenger correspondence, and in one case a button phone, also led to entry refusals. The channel said the FSB told courts that individuals could be classified as “supporters of radical Islamic ideology.” That claim reinforces questions about the transparency of the criteria used and how entry decisions are made.
The checks at Moscow airports began in spring 2024 after the Crocus City Hall attack. In summer 2025, TASS reported, based on court rulings, that Tajik and Uzbek citizens were being banned from Russia when phones showed subscriptions to pages of terrorist and extremist organisations. Ukrainians and sometimes Russians returning home from abroad have also faced similar “filtering” checks, according to the channel.
Official statistics and public explanations from the FSB remain limited, so the scale of the practice is assessed mainly through court decisions and witness accounts. Migration and rights experts are calling for clearer rules on phone searches, data retention and the grounds for entry bans. Further court rulings and official comments may shape the legal debate over the measure.
Source: kun.uz