Russia's clampdown on Tajik migrants raises economic and security risks

A vendor sells carpets at a local market in the settlement of Hulbuk, formerly known as Vose, in the Khatlon region, Tajikistan, December 12, 2024. REUTERS/Stringer

LONDON/HULBUK, Tajikistan (Reuters) - When Abubakr Yusufi boarded a flight to Moscow in July, he thought he wouldn't be home for years.

The 23-year-old from a small village in Tajikistan hoped to join his uncle and cousins working in construction in the Russian capital and save enough money to return home and find a bride. But Yusufi only saw Moscow from the airplane window.