Attacks on minorities in Russia in the wake of the ISIS attack on a Moscow music venue are rising sharply, leading to fears the country is descending into chaos and anarchy.
The horrific attack on the Crocus City Hall in March, which left over 140 people dead, was carried out by Tajik members of ISIS-K.
Since then, Russia‘s ethnic minorities have been targeted for retribution by furious Russians and police.
In the latest shocking incident, a car driver attempted to run down a group of migrant workers in the city of Saratov.
The men were standing outside a cafe, when a Lada car suddenly ploughs into them, sending people running for their lives.
The incident was captured by customers of the cafe and posted to social media channels. There appear to be no serious casualties.
Russia has over 190 ethnic groups nationwide, a legacy of its imperial past and historical conquests.
Almost 20 percent of the country’s 144 million people are non-Russian in ethnicity.
Ruslan Kutaev, a rebel Chechen leader, painted a bleak picture of Kremlin sponsored persecution of Muslims in Russia.
He told Express.co.uk: “Putin’s authorities have nothing left to offer Russian society except ethnic and religious disdain.
“In Moscow and in other regions of Russia, prayer houses and mosques of Muslims are being demolished and closed.
“Cases of attacks on Muslim women have become more frequent. It is obvious that these are coordinated actions of Russian nationalists and authorities under the patronage of the Russian FSB.”
Although Vladimir Putin has on numerous occasions declared Russia to be a multi-ethnic and multi-confessional country, he has fostered a growing Slavic nationalism as he seeks to maintain public support for his war in Ukraine.
Ironically, a disproportionate number of military conscripts for the war come from Russia‘s ethnic minorities.
Police harassment and attacks of minority groups have mushroomed over the last month, according to Human Rights activists.
In late March 40 migrants were detained at their place of work 60 kilometres from Moscow.
Law enforcement agencies also conducted a major operation including mass searches and the immediate arraignment of people accused of breaking migration laws.
As a result, 466 individuals were sentenced to expulsion from Russia.
The Russian police are using their stop and search powers to rob migrants of their possessions.
Valentina Chupik, an Uzbek lawyer and activists living in the US, told CNN: “The police are trying to pretend that they are actively fighting ethnic crime and preventing terrorist attacks.
“Actually, they’re robbing migrants. I have dozens of complaints about migrants being stopped by police, and (the police) have stolen whatever they liked.”