Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) announced on Thursday that it had dismantled a migrant smuggling network reportedly led by a Nigerian university lecturer. The network specialized in facilitating the illegal entry and transit of African immigrants through Russia to European Union countries, according to state-run news agency TASS.

The alleged ringleader is a senior lecturer at the People’s Friendship University of Russia (RUDN) and hails from Nigeria. Although the FSB did not reveal the individual’s name, it confirmed the arrest of five key members of the smuggling operation. These members included Russian, Nigerian, and Ukrainian nationals. Authorities are continuing investigations to identify additional accomplices involved in the network.

Since 2021, the group is believed to have earned at least 60 million rubles (approximately $650,000) by providing fake Russian residence permits and visas, often through fraudulent marriages and falsified paternity documents. In footage released by TASS, FSB agents were seen conducting raids in homes and outdoor locations. During one interrogation, a man admitted to entering into a sham marriage with a Nigerian woman.

Additionally, the FSB reported rescuing three Russian nationals who had been held captive and exploited by the smugglers. These individuals were freed during one of the 25 raids conducted in the Vladimir region and have since been handed over to the police.

This announcement comes after Finland closed its border with Russia last year, accusing Moscow of using migrants in a “hybrid attack” against Europe, a claim Russia has denied.