The key facts
- Group organizer Mokhir Yakhoyev was sentenced to 3 years and 9 months in a penal colony for legalizing more than 300 citizens of Central Asia
- About 30 apartment owners and an MFC employee took part in the scheme; one accomplice has been placed on a federal wanted list
- Work patents were annulled, and some of the migrants have already left Russia
Verdict for the Scheme's Organizer
In Nizhny Novgorod Region, the organizer of a criminal group was sentenced to three years and nine months in a penal colony for the illegal legalization of more than 300 foreign citizens. This was reported by the MVD Main Directorate for the region. The criminal business was set up by 34-year-old Mokhir Yakhoyev, a native of a nearby foreign country: from January 2023 to April 2024, he and his accomplices found foreigners who wanted to get jobs in Russia.
How the Scheme Worked
For a monetary reward, the newcomers were registered on the migration register in Nizhny Novgorod and the city of Bor, although in fact they did not live at the specified addresses. According to law enforcement, about 30 apartment owners took part in the scheme, acting as the receiving party for money. An employee of a multifunctional center also provided assistance — thanks to her, documents with false information about the place of stay went through processing. After being placed on the register, the foreigners applied for work patents, indicating addresses where they did not actually live. In total, the stay of more than 300 citizens of Central Asian countries was legalized in this way.
Detentions and Verdicts
The participants of the scheme were detained in the summer of 2025; police officers and the regional FSB directorate took part in the operation. One of the alleged accomplices, who was involved in finding clients, fled and was placed on a federal wanted list. As a result of the trial, the organizer received three years and nine months of imprisonment, one of the accomplices was sentenced to one year in a colony, and the MFC employee received a two-year suspended sentence.
Consequences for Migrants and Property Owners
The work patents issued on the basis of fictitious registrations were annulled, the permitted periods of stay in Russia were shortened for the identified violators; some of the migrants have already left the country on their own. The organizer of the scheme had his residence permit annulled. The owners of residential premises who participated in the fictitious registration were also held criminally liable.
Similar Cases in Other Regions
According to Life.ru, in September 2026, a criminal group involving former and current police officers was uncovered in Moscow; it registered foreigners at addresses where they did not actually live — at least 20 episodes were established. In November 2025, in St. Petersburg, a channel for legalizing approximately three thousand migrants was dismantled: they were fictitiously registered in hostels, and they charged from 28 to 34 thousand rubles for processing work patents. In Volgograd, according to the MVD, three suspects organized the illegal registration of more than 1,200 foreigners through fictitious employment contracts.
