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City Hall to Launch Raids on Noncompliant Moscow Hostels

Sabrinayrafa / Pixabay

City authorities will launch raids on hostels that receive complaints from the capital's residents starting from March 10, the City Hall said in a statement Friday.

The raids will be directed by police, the Federal Migration Service and Russia's consumer rights watchdog Rospotrebnadzor and will affect about 50 hostels.

Two thirds of them are located in residential buildings, the statement said.

Under new legislation, all Moscow hotels ?€” including hostels ?€” must receive proper certification before July 1 or will face closure.

Only 14 hostels have obtained the certificates so far, which accounts for 5 percent of the hostels in Moscow, according to City Hall.

In October 2015, the State Duma's housing committee recommended to adopt in the first reading a bill banning hostels located in residential buildings.

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