70K Foreigners Denied Entry via Biometric Checks
Since the start of the experiment on collecting biometric personal data of foreign citizens at the border through transit points, approximately 14 million foreigners have passed through, and nearly 70,000 of them have been found on the list of persons not allowed to enter Russia,
Consensus
- The experiment to collect biometric data for border crossing in Russia began on December 1, 2024.
- The system identifies foreigners using facial images and fingerprints during border control.
- Approximately 14 million foreign nationals have passed through the monitored border points since the experiment began.
- About 70,000 of these individuals were denied entry because they were on a list of persons prohibited from entering Russia.
- The system helps detect individuals who previously had a ban on entry, left Russia, changed their personal data, and attempted to re-enter.
- The initial points of the experiment included Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo, and Zhukovsky airports, and the Mashtakovo border crossing in Orenburg Oblast.
- The system was extended to Vnukovo Airport starting May 1, 2025.
- In June 2026, 11 additional border points were equipped with biometric systems: in St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Krasnoyarsk, Yekaterinburg, Altai Krai, and in Irkutsk, Kurgan, Novosibirsk, Saratov, Orenburg, and Omsk Oblasts.
- The biometric system was developed by the Moscow government.
Points of divergence
- The experiment was conducted in Moscow airports Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo and Zhukovsky, as well as the Mashtakovo border crossing in Orenбургской области, and later the Vnukovo airport was added. — tg_radiosvoboda
- The system was implemented in 11 additional border points in June 2026. — vedomosti
- The biometric system used at the border points was developed by the Moscow government. — interfax
- The biometric system used at the border points is developed by the Moscow government. — vesti
Coverage (5 sources)
- Since the start of the experiment on submitting biometric data for crossing the border into Russia, almost 70 thousand foreigners were not allowed in — Радио Свобода
- Biometrics helped not miss about 70,000 foreigners whose entry is prohibited — Ведомости
- 70 thousand foreigners were not allowed to enter Russia after the start of biometric checks — Коммерсантъ
- Use of biometrics at the border prevented 70 thousand foreigners from entering Russia — Интерфакс
- Wolf: 14 million foreigners passed through border checkpoints during the biometrics procedure — Вести
Key entities
- Russia
- MVD
- Irina Volk
- Moscow
- Zhukovsky
- Sheremetyevo
- Domodedovo
- Orenburg Oblast
- Mashtakovo
- INTERFAX.RU
- Max
- Telegram channel
- Ministry of Internal Affairs