The lives of Russia's migrant workers have never been easy. But the year 2013 brought even greater challenges, with rising nationalism and a shaky economy making migrants the target of increased hostility and violence. The summer witnessed massive nationwide raids in which thousands of Central Asians, Caucasians, and other labor migrants were detained and sometimes deported. Migrants say their status leaves them vulnerable to extortion and abuse. Many Russians, meanwhile, have called for Moscow to impose a visa regime for visiting workers from the post-Soviet region. (20 PHOTOS)
The Outsiders: Russia's Labor Migrants
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Migrant workers at a Moscow construction site during a raid by immigration officers in January 2013.
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Migrant workers look through a door opening at a Moscow construction site to watch a Russian Orthodox religious procession in May 2013.
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Hundreds of labor migrants were rounded up and detained in a series of raids on Moscow markets in July 2013. The raids followed an attack in which a Russian police officer was injured.
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A Russian police officer stands guard at a tent camp for illegal migrant workers at the site of Moscow's former Cherkizovsky market in August. City authorities closed the market in 2009, alleging numerous illegal activities and safety violations.
