Tajikistan summons Russia’s ambassador to protest the killing of a 10-year-old Tajik boy near Moscow, denouncing the attack as motivated by ethnic hatred.
DUSHANBE: Tajikistan has denounced an “ethnic hatred” attack in Russia, a rare criticism of its ally, after a 10-year-old Tajik schoolboy was killed near Moscow.
The foreign ministry confirmed the victim was Tajik and summoned the Russian ambassador to protest.
It handed the ambassador a note demanding an immediate and impartial investigation into the incident.
In a separate statement, the Tajik interior ministry said it feared the incident would be used as a pretext by radical nationalist groups to commit similar crimes.
Russia’s Investigative Committee said a 15-year-old suspect was detained after the attack in Gorki-2, a village west of Moscow.
According to Russian media, the alleged attacker subscribed to neo-Nazi channels and had sent classmates a racist manifesto days before.
Hundreds of thousands of Tajiks work in Russia, with remittances accounting for nearly half of Tajikistan’s GDP.
Since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, some Central Asian migrants have sought work elsewhere.
Russia has tried to recruit Central Asian migrants into its army and has hardened migration policies since a 2024 concert hall attack, for which it arrested Tajik citizens.
