580 Foreigners Taken to Police After Perekryostok Inspections

St. Petersburg police have delivered 580 foreign workers from the Perekryostok supermarket chain to police departments after checks initiated by a fatal incident in one of the stores.

Feb 5, 2026

On January 23, St. Petersburg police continued large-scale inspections in the Perekryostok supermarket chain, managed by X5 Retail Group. The raids aim to ensure compliance with migration legislation and were initiated after the death of a visitor in one of the stores. This was reported by Police Colonel Andrei Kirillov, deputy head of the Public Order Protection Department of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region.

Police inspections at Perekryostok supermarkets in St. Petersburg following a fatal incident.

Over 1,300 police and Rosgvardiya (the Russian National Guard) officers inspected all 139 Perekryostok outlets in St. Petersburg and the region. Documents were checked for 1,360 people, of which 631 are migrants from near abroad countries, working in trade, logistics, and security. 580 foreign citizens were taken to police departments for administrative liability.

The main focus of law enforcement is on the legality of employment of workers in stores and warehouses.

Inspections in the Perekryostok network have been placed under special police control and will continue in the future.

Previously, during an inspection of the X5 Retail Group logistics center, illegal workers were already identified.

X5 stated that the company is assisting with the inspections and taking measures to ensure uninterrupted supplies. Currently, store operations are not disrupted.

The reason for the raids was an incident on the evening of January 21, when at a Perekryostok on Kolomyazhsky Prospect, security detained 24-year-old Dmitry on suspicion of theft. According to the investigation, a conflict arose: the young man was knocked to the floor and restrained, he used an aerosol, and the guards fired four shots from a pistol. Dmitry lost consciousness, was taken to the hospital in a state of clinical death, and died.

The Investigative Committee has opened a criminal case for causing death by negligence. X5 confirmed cooperation with the investigation. Testimony was given by a cleaner and two guards, the third guard fled, and his escape was recorded by surveillance cameras.