The 32-year-old denied the allegations.
A Kyrgyz court has sentenced a man who fought with Russian forces in Ukraine to ten years in prison. was sentenced to work as a mercenary.
The 32-year-old denied the allegations. However, at the end of last year, according to the court, he spent half a year in eastern Ukraine, for which he was paid a monthly allowance of more than 2,000 euros. In addition, he had received a Russian passport.
Russia has sought to recruit citizens of the former Soviet republics of Central Asia into its military forces, among other things, by offering them the opportunity to obtain Russian citizenship. In recent months, dozens of Central Asians have been killed in fighting in Ukraine. According to local media, most of them fought in the ranks of the mercenary company Wagner.
According to the Kylym Shams human rights organization, the man was the first Kyrgyz to be convicted of being a mercenary in Ukraine. The governments of Central Asian countries have repeatedly urged their citizens not to participate in the war in Ukraine.
