Kazakhstan: Stop Fighting for Russia, Please

On December 25, Mediazona reported that Kazakhstan is sentencing citizens to five years in prison for fighting for Russia in War on Ukraine. In collaboration with the project Proshay, Oruzhie (Goodbye, Weapons), the news site investigated how Kazakh citizens have ended up in Russian trenches and the legal consequences they are facing back in their home country.

Kazakhstan and Russia are close political allies. However, in early 2025, the Ukrainian anti-war organization Khochu Zhit (I Want to Live) leaked the names of over 1200 Kazakhstan citizens fighting as mercenaries for Russia. According to Mediazona, local authorities indicted 700 people for enlisting in Russian military units and the Wagner mercenary group. Participating in a foreign conflict is illegal in Kazakhstan. 

From Cuba to India, Russia has long lured (and tricked) men into fighting in its war in Ukraine. Since most former Soviet nations still speak Russian, they have been targeted with ads for their citizens to join Russia's army. Migrants from these countries have been particularly vulnerable to forced military enlistment. In many of the criminal cases opened by Kazakhstan, the men went to Russia to do contract work. There, they were either forced or coerced into enlisting in the army. Upon returning to Kazakhstan, many of these men turned themselves in or were arrested.

According to Mediazona, Konstantin Kozhakhmeto said he was forced to sign a military contract after being detained for migration violations. The 56-year-old claims he was beaten in detention. Then, he fled while wounded in Donetsk. Kozhakhmeto stayed in the occupied region for months before crossing the border illegally and surrendering to Kazakhstan's authorities.

Other Kazakh men joined the Russian Army because of ethnic ties or for ideological reasons. Pyotr Miroshnichenko, an ethnic Russian from Kazakhstan, openly petitioned to enlist in a video directly addressed to President Vladimir Putin. The 42-year-old attempted to join the army, but his migration card had expired, and he was subsequently deported. Miroshnicheko then crossed the Luhansk border illegally and continued to petition for Russian citizenship as a soldier. However, his quest came to an end after learning he had liver disease and was HIV positive, a disqualifier for becoming a Russian citizen. He returned to Kazakhstan and surrendered to local authorities.

Kazakhstan has not been alone in convicting its citizens for participation in a foreign war. Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan have also arrested passport holders who have fought for Russia. So far, 200 Kazakh citizens are estimated to have died fighting for Russia in Ukraine.