21.10.08

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The current economic crisis in Russia could trigger a sharp increase in street crime by newly unemployed foreign workers. Mikhail Delyagin, a prominent economist and director of the Institute for the Problems of Globalization, warned of such danger.

He predicts that by the end of October, all housing and construction, which exists with the help of loans, will stop in Russian cities. As a result, several million construction workers, including many illegal immigrants from countries such as Uzbekistan and Ukraine, will be out of work. This will cause a huge surge in street crime.

Andrei Fedorov, the director of political programs at the Council on Foreign and Defense Policy, predicts that 11 million illegal workers will lose their jobs soon. Meanwhile, most foreign workers do not know the Russian language and are unable to perform any other work, except for laboring on a construction site.

According to Delyagina and Fedrov, one should expect an upsurge of crime to occur at the end of October and beginning of November, when most Russian companies will need to make loan payments. The companies do not currently have adequate money to pay the loans. Delyagin warns "simple Russian citizens" to be careful, especially in outlying residential districts of Moscow.

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Source: ИА «Росбалт»