From Niloufar to Qobiljon: the murders of Tajik children in Russia and the rise of migrantophobia
Over the past 22 years, at least six Tajik children have fallen victim to hate-motivated murders in Russia. The recent brutal murder of the 10-year-old Qobiljon Aliyev in Moscow’s suburban school district has sparked widespread concern, once again raising questions about the spread of migrantophobia.
The murder of Qobiljon Aliyev
Qobiljon was stabbed to death at his school by a 15-year-old ninth-grader identified as Timofey K on December 16.
Before the bloodshed began, Timofey K. approached a group of children and a teacher at the school and asked about their nationality. He recorded this exchange on his phone and later shared it on Telegram. When a security guard advanced, Timofey K. doused him in pepper spray and stabbed the man before chasing Qobiljon Aliyev up the stairs and fatally wounding him.
Media reports say Timofey K. was dressed in gear bearing slogans linked to mass killings. On his vest was the phrase «No Lives Matter,» a term associated with a subculture that imitates mass attackers and far-right groups. Other slogans referred to Anders Breivik’s 2011 Norway attacks and past assaults on schools and places of worship in the United States and New Zealand. Before the attack, he sent classmates a «manifesto» condemning Muslims, Jews, and the left generally, and advocating the need to «correct» the so-called «Great Replacement» — a far-right conspiracy theory claiming that white European populations are deliberately being replaced by non-white peoples, especially from Muslim-majority countries.
The Russian authorities have stopped short of calling the killing a hate crime. Statements by federal investigators have not mentioned a motive. Criminal proceedings have been instituted against the killer under articles related to murder and attempted murder of Russia’s Criminal Code. The investigation is under way.
The Tajik government has publicly demanded an «immediate, objective, and impartial investigation» into the boy’s murder, calling it a crime motivated by national hatred.
This is not the first incident of violence against Tajik children.
2022. The murder of Daler Bobiyev
5-year-old Daler Bobiyev was killed in December 2022 in Yekaterinburg by his guardians, Alexander and Veronika Naumov, both Russian citizens. His body was discovered only six months later, in June 2023.
The murder of Qobiljon Aliyev
Qobiljon was stabbed to death at his school by a 15-year-old ninth-grader identified as Timofey K on December 16.
Before the bloodshed began, Timofey K. approached a group of children and a teacher at the school and asked about their nationality. He recorded this exchange on his phone and later shared it on Telegram. When a security guard advanced, Timofey K. doused him in pepper spray and stabbed the man before chasing Qobiljon Aliyev up the stairs and fatally wounding him.
Media reports say Timofey K. was dressed in gear bearing slogans linked to mass killings. On his vest was the phrase «No Lives Matter,» a term associated with a subculture that imitates mass attackers and far-right groups. Other slogans referred to Anders Breivik’s 2011 Norway attacks and past assaults on schools and places of worship in the United States and New Zealand. Before the attack, he sent classmates a «manifesto» condemning Muslims, Jews, and the left generally, and advocating the need to «correct» the so-called «Great Replacement» — a far-right conspiracy theory claiming that white European populations are deliberately being replaced by non-white peoples, especially from Muslim-majority countries.
The Russian authorities have stopped short of calling the killing a hate crime. Statements by federal investigators have not mentioned a motive. Criminal proceedings have been instituted against the killer under articles related to murder and attempted murder of Russia’s Criminal Code. The investigation is under way.
The Tajik government has publicly demanded an «immediate, objective, and impartial investigation» into the boy’s murder, calling it a crime motivated by national hatred.
This is not the first incident of violence against Tajik children.
2022. The murder of Daler Bobiyev
5-year-old Daler Bobiyev was killed in December 2022 in Yekaterinburg by his guardians, Alexander and Veronika Naumov, both Russian citizens. His body was discovered only six months later, in June 2023.
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