The 2000s—often called the "plentiful noughties"—are remembered in Russian media as a golden age of glamour, opportunity, and hope.
But my experience was very different. Living in Moscow in 2004–2005, I was often stopped by police along with other non-Slavic people during raids on "illegal" migrants.
These encounters came with insults, threats, and demands for money—made worse by the rise of ultra-right groups, reflecting the era’s deep racism and xenophobia. Others in my situation told me to keep a thousand-ruble note tucked into my passport—a small bribe that, ironically, reduced the frequency of these stops.
For me, those two objects — a passport and a crumpled bill — represent another side of that decade, one that persists in the ongoing rise of hate crimes and far-right violence today.
The 2000s—often called the "plentiful noughties"—are remembered in Russian media as a golden age of glamour, opportunity, and hope.
But my experience was very different. Living in Moscow in 2004–2005, I was often stopped by police along with other non-Slavic people during raids on "illegal" migrants.
These encounters came with insults, threats, and demands for money—made worse by the rise of ultra-right groups, reflecting the era’s deep racism and xenophobia. Others in my situation told me to keep a thousand-ruble note tucked into my passport—a small bribe that, ironically, reduced the frequency of these stops.
For me, those two objects — a passport and a crumpled bill — represent another side of that decade, one that persists in the ongoing rise of hate crimes and far-right violence today.