Turkmen Students Expelled from Russian University Following Protest

At least 35 Turkmenistan citizens have been expelled from North Caucasus Federal University (NCFU) following a protest, Orda reports, citing The Caucasian Knot. 

According to a lawyer, rights to defense have been violated.​

Expulsion

On March 14, NCFU's administration stated that the Turkmen students detained by law enforcement had already lost their student status and were expected to return home. ​

The students had protested against being pressured to transfer to universities in regions bordering Ukraine. On March 7, police dispersed the protest, detaining at least seven individuals, and conducted a raid on the dormitory on March 8.

Following these events, the students filed complaints with the regional ombudsman, alleging discrimination, forced expulsion, confiscation of passports, and administrative arrests.​

A student representative, who requested anonymity, claimed that at least 35 Turkmen students, labeled as participants in the protest against administrative transfers to universities in Kursk and Belgorod regions, have been expelled. 

The university administration and police are searching for other alleged participants.​

The expelled students had their passports confiscated under the pretext of document verification. On March 17, those whose passports were taken on March 8 were deported to Turkmenistan. They were given tickets and had their passports returned only when boarding the plane.

Funds confiscated from them were promised to be returned to their bank accounts; however, as Turmennews reports, the funds may have yet to be returned. Among the 35 expelled, some were merely entering the university building for personal matters.​

One of the students, arrested for ten days on charges of "hooliganism," was also fined 30,000 rubles.

During the trial, he said:

They want to send us to the war.

The judge objected to calling it a war. In response, the student asked,

He believes it was for these words that he was fined. 

On March 17 at 7:00 PM, all detainees were released. Immediately after their release, one was detained by migration service officers and sent to Nevinnomyssk, where migrants awaiting deportation are held.​

In all court rulings, it was noted that the students "did not resist the police" but "used inappropriate language towards them." Dates for court hearings to appeal the administrative arrests have not yet been set.​

As The Caucasian Knot reports, many of the 35 expelled students hide in apartments.

Some have already been detained, had their passports confiscated, and will soon be sent to Turkmenistan.

For Russia, Turkmenistan is a visa-required country, and students come on student visas. 

After visa annulment, they have three working days to leave Russia. In this case, NCFU's administration confiscates passports to annul the visa officially. Other universities annul it in the database without taking the passports. 

Lawyers Comment

The lawyer representing the detained students does not have exact information on the number of deported students. He noted that all students were expelled retroactively. He believes that in all cases, the right to defense was violated. They have yet to receive a response from the Commissioner for Human Rights in the Stavropol Territory.​

Moscow-based lawyer Valentina Chupik, who provides free legal assistance to migrants, believes that they are at risk of being banned from entering Russia on the grounds of a "threat to the national security of the Russian Federation" and in Turkmenistan as "potentially untrustworthy."​

Comments from the Stavropol ombudsman regarding the students' appeal and measures taken to protect their rights have not yet been obtained.

The ombudsman's office stated they "do not have information" on the matter.

University's Response

North Caucasus Federal University (NCFU) responded to a lawyer's request concerning 48 Turkmen students, clarifying that documentation was issued to 46, The Caucasian Knot reports.

Copies of enrollment verification letters were denied due to internal rules not requiring their storage, the university said in a March 23 reply.

37 students received acceptance letters from new institutions, with 14 transfers finalized. The rest are awaiting confirmation or were expelled — some for academic failure, others for violations of academic conditions.

NCFU confirmed that 19 students were expelled for academic underperformance, one had been expelled earlier in 2024, and 18 were dismissed due to failed assessments before submitting transfer requests.

Twelve students are still transferring, while six have not submitted any transfer or withdrawal applications as of March 2025.