Over 700 Criminal Cases Filed in Kazakhstan Over Nationals Fighting for Russia
Kazakhstan has opened a record number of criminal cases against its citizens accused of fighting on Russia’s side in the war against Ukraine.
The Gaze reports this, referring to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
According to official data, more than 700 investigations have been launched over the past year. The figures mark a dramatic increase compared with previous years, when such cases numbered only in the dozens.
Most of the defendants are accused of joining Russian military formations, including the Wagner private military company, or of signing contracts with Russia’s Ministry of Defense.
Prosecutors have brought charges under two key provisions of Kazakhstan’s criminal code: participation in armed conflicts or military operations abroad, which carries a sentence of up to nine years in prison, and mercenarism, an offense that can be punished by life imprisonment.
Until recently, enforcement of these laws had been relatively limited. However, the situation shifted in early 2025 after the Ukrainian government-backed project “I Want to Live” published personal data of alleged foreign mercenaries fighting for Russia.
Following that disclosure, Kazakh law enforcement sharply intensified investigations. In 2024, authorities opened 17 mercenarism cases and 166 cases related to participation in foreign conflicts. In 2025, those numbers rose to 709 participation cases and 28 mercenarism cases, making it a record year.
Despite these prosecutions, Kazakhstan has officially maintained a neutral stance on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has repeatedly called for negotiations and has said Astana is prepared to act as a mediator.
At the same time, the human cost of the war for Kazakhstan has become increasingly visible. At present, nearly 200 citizens or natives of Kazakhstan have been killed while fighting in Russia’s war against Ukraine.
As The Gaze reported earlier, the number of foreign soldiers fighting for Russia in Ukraine has sharply risen this year, revealing a massive expansion of Moscow’s global recruitment network.
Read also on The Gaze: UK Intelligence: Russia Suffers More Than 400,000 Casualties Over Past Two Years