“Reports of harassment and fear”

Predictably, Russian authorities are working hard to make life intolerable for Turkish citizens living in Russia:

…there were reports of harassment and fear in the Turkish student community.

In the city of Saratov, police arrived at a student dormitory on Saturday and searched the rooms of about 20 students with sniffer dogs, selecting them specifically by nationality. The students were questioned about whether they used drugs, had their documents checked and were told to sign blank documents, according to Turkish media. In Voronezh, Turkish students were reportedly ask to write letters voluntarily ending their studies at the university.

Because abusing Turkish students is the best way to repair long-term relations with Turkey. One would think students are not very likely to support Erdogan on average so they would be natural allies if the Kremlin wanted conciliation. But the system it has built is acting as though the Kremlin wanted war. Perhaps that’s what it really wants: if not war, then maximum confrontation short of war.

This, too, is typical, conjuring up ugly memories from the Russo-Georgian war of 2008:

But Russian migration officials lost no time, and began touring the country checking construction sites, trade fairs and homes. Tens of people were deported, and more were denied entry to the country or subjected to checks, according to the Turkish Embassy and Turks living in Moscow.

More administrative brilliance:

A Russian-Turkish research center at Moscow’s Library for Foreign Literature announced it had closed for “reasons unknown to us,” and its lectures, language classes and conferences would be canceled.

Because ignorance is bliss.

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