Kyrgyzstan Sent An Ultimatum To Russia
- 6.11.2026, 12:58
Following Kazakhstan's lead, the country is demanding that Moscow allow its citizens, who were recruited to fight in the war, to return home.
The Kyrgyz Embassy in Russia sent a note to the Russian Foreign Ministry calling for the repatriation of a Kyrgyz citizen who, “as a result of fraudulent actions by unidentified individuals,” was recruited into the Russian army to fight in the war in Ukraine. Previously, in similar situations, Kazakhstani diplomats had already sought the return of their citizens from Moscow.
The note refers to 21-year-old Elistan Toktogulov from the Talas Region of Kyrgyzstan, according to "Azattyk Asia". In the fall of 2026, the young man came across an ad on social media from a supposed compatriot living in Russia. The recruiter promised Toktogulov several civilian jobs in Russia, such as security guard and driver, with a salary of 110,000 rubles—three times the median income in Kyrgyzstan. Elistan traveled to a foreign country, where he was tricked into signing a contract with the Ministry of Defense and sent to a training ground in the Voronezh region to prepare for combat operations in Ukraine. Toktogulov’s relatives, with whom the young man was able to make contact, held a protest in the city of Manas on November 3 and recorded a video appeal to the authorities, asking them to bring their relative back from the foreign army. Official Bishkek soon intervened in the situation, calling on the Russian side not only to release the recruit but also to investigate Toktogulov’s recruitment in order to “identify those responsible and ensure they are held accountable in accordance with the law.”
At the same time, the Kyrgyz authorities acknowledged that their citizens residing in the Russian Federation face the risk of being recruited into a combatant army. “The Ministry [of Foreign Affairs] recommends that [Kyrgyz] citizens, in order to avoid possible negative consequences, carefully review the contents of contracts and other agreements before signing them, paying particular attention to the obligations they are assuming and the legal consequences,”, the note states.
Earlier, under similar circumstances, the Kazakhstani authorities secured the return of their compatriots from the Kremlin. On October 22, twelve citizens of the country returned home after being released from their obligations to the Russian Ministry of Defense, according to the local publication “Kursiv.” According to the returnees, who came from various regions of Kazakhstan, they all traveled to Russia believing the promises of well-paid, strictly civilian work. But once there, their employers forced the foreigners to sign military contracts and sent them to the front lines in Ukraine.
In late October, an independent commission of the UN General Assembly investigating war crimes in Ukraine stated in a special report that cases of recruitment into the Russian army through deception or coercion have already been proven involving nationals from at least 29 countries. These include not only the republics of the former Soviet Union, but also countries in Africa, Latin America, the Middle East, and South Asia.
The authors of the report emphasized that recruiters in various countries operate in the same way among the most disadvantaged and vulnerable segments of the population. They promise recruits civilian jobs in Russia, and in some cases specifically “guarantee” that they will not be sent to war. However, upon arrival in the Russian Federation, these so-called recruits are forced, through coercion or deception, to sign contracts with the Ministry of Defense in Russian—a language often incomprehensible to the victims of fraudulent recruitment.