Kazakh citizen Jazylbek Azhygaliyev, who worked in Russia, suffered violence at the hands of Russian law enforcement officers who tried to force him to participate in the war against Ukraine. This was reported by the publication The Urals Weekly, later confirmed by the Kazakh’s sister Marua Eskendirova to the regional service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty “Radio Azattyk.”
After refusing to sign a contract, the man was deported to Kazakhstan and banned from entering Russia for five years. According to the publication, in December last year Azhygaliyev, together with his brother, went to Moscow for work. In Russia he found employment as a medical worker at a clinic and submitted documents for registration.
According to relatives, on January 18 he was called by the migration service and asked to come for documents. The next day, when Azhygaliyev arrived at the facility, Russian police officers arrived there. The man was hooded with a black bag over his head, shocked with a stun gun, and taken to the police station.
“The brother is very frightened and does not want to file any complaints. I am raising this issue because many people continue to go to Russia for work. If today they can beat and torture one person for no reason, there is no guarantee that tomorrow this won’t be repeated with others.”
– Marua Eskendirova
According to Marua Eskendirova, over the course of three days Azhygaliyev was beaten and subjected to torture using an electroshock device. During the same period, three times officers from the military enlistment office arrived to persuade him to sign a contract and be sent to the war. Azhygaliyev refused to sign the documents and demanded to be deported to Kazakhstan. In the night before January 21, he was boarded onto a plane bound for Almaty. At the same time, he was banned from entering the territory of Russia for five years. According to the publication, relatives are now appealing to Kazakh authorities to evaluate the actions of the Russian law enforcement authorities.
Kazakh security forces and official agencies had not commented on the incident at the time of publication.
Reports of attempts to forcibly recruit migrants from Central Asian countries into the Russian army come regularly. Journalists and human rights defenders note that Russia actively recruits people from countries that were formerly part of the Soviet Union. Meanwhile, the authorities of the region typically respond to such complaints with a delay.
In 2024, the Russian publication Meduza reported that in Kazakhstan, about 700 criminal cases were opened in one year against citizens who fought on the side of the Russian army in Ukraine. Kazakhstan officially states a neutral position in Russia’s war against Ukraine. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has repeatedly urged the parties to negotiate and stated the country’s willingness to act as a mediator.
Context and Reaction
Explaining the situation, experts note that such cases attract the attention of the international community, but official comments from Kazakhstan are rare. The country maintains a neutral stance on the conflict, which adds difficulties in covering such stories.