In Kazakhstan, hundreds of cases were initiated against those who went to war against Ukraine – mass media

During the year, a record 700 cases were filed in Kazakhstan against those citizens of the country who went to fight in Ukraine on the side of Russia, writes the “Mediazon” publication on December 25, referring to joint calculations with the “Forgive, Arms” project.

The courts announce the same sentences to the mercenaries of the “Wagner” PMC and to those who signed a contract with the Russian Ministry of Defense. All of them, according to the Criminal Code of Kazakhstan, “carried out a criminal intent” to participate in the war, the publication says.

Previously, the number of such cases in Kazakhstan was limited to dozens per year, but at the beginning of 2025, after the Ukrainian project “I want to live” published the personal data of possible mercenaries, the situation changed, Mediazona notes.

According to estimates by Mediazona and the Russian BBC service, almost 200 citizens or natives of Kazakhstan died in the war against Ukraine.

Officially, Kazakhstan maintains a neutral position in Russia’s war against Ukraine. President Kasym-Jomart Tokayev calls the parties to negotiations and declares his readiness to mediate in them.

In November 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree allowing people with foreign citizenships to serve in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. Previously, only Russian citizens could serve under the draft, foreigners had to serve under a contract.

In the spring of 2023, Putin signed a decree that allows foreign citizens who signed contracts for military service in the Russian Armed Forces during the war to obtain Russian citizenship in a simplified manner.