On Tuesday, August 13, local police reported that 1,800 immigrant workers had been detained after raids on commercial enterprises in Moscow Region, the latest in a string of similar raids in Moscow and other Russian big cities.

      “During raids against illegal immigrants police checked a series of construction and farming markets. As a result 1,800 foreign citizens were detained,” local police said in a statement.

      Many of those who had been held for inspection of documents and establishment of identity were later released. However, 240 people were charged with administrative offenses and police were deciding whether to press criminal charges against 81 others, according to the police's statement.

      The big raid in Moscow Region's Odintsov district follows similar operations across Russia over the weekend, in which hundreds of arrests took place in cities including the Siberian city of Tyumen and in southern Russia's Krasnodar Territory.

      In Moscow, the local authorities had to build a special temporary tent encampment for more than 500 suspected illegal immigrants who were arrested during a series of large raids in recent weeks and are waiting for deportation.

      Some specialists have linked the raids with upcoming mayoral elections in Moscow and Moscow region set on September 8 as an attempt by official candidates to score political points by appearing to take a tough line on illegal immigration.

      The Russian economy is heavily dependent on immigrant labor, particularly from Central Asia, but there is widespread opposition within society to increased levels of immigration. There are about 3 million illegal immigrants in the country, according to official estimates.