Propaganda, Pay, and Prison: The Kazakhs Fighting in Ukraine
While many Central Asian migrants have been coerced or pressured into fighting for Russia in Ukraine, a number of Kazakh citizens have taken up arms voluntarily.
On January 14, a Kazakh citizen, given the pseudonym 'G' by the court, was sentenced to four years and six months in prison for fighting with the Russian paramilitary organization Wagner Group. He is not alone. While a few Kazakhs have reportedly fought on the Ukrainian side, the majority of those who have traveled to the frontlines appear to have joined the Russian forces.
In April, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry's 'I Want to Live' project published a list of 661 Kazakh nationals believed to have joined the Russian military. Of those, 78 were confirmed killed in action – a number limited to individuals the ministry could verify with confidence.
While many Kazakh nationals fighting for Russia were likely labor migrants in search of a better income, who subsequently ended up at the front, others have crossed the border with the intention of joining the military from the outset. The Russian government continues to welcome new recruits, while Kazakhstan's government attempts to dissuade its citizens from taking part in what it deems a foreign war, reminding them of the significant legal consequences.
Under Kazakh law, fighting in foreign wars can lead to up to nine years in prison. However, this legal risk has not deterred everyone. 'G,' the man sentenced in January, for instance, reportedly claimed he was motivated by ideological reasons, citing the treatment of Russian speakers in Ukraine as his main motivation for joining the war.
For others, the incentive may be simpler: money. According to Kazakh journalist Lukpan Akhmedyarov, newer fighters have, like previous recruits, been heavily influenced by Russian propaganda. However, he describes financial incentives as the final push.
'These are people who sat in front of the TV for many years, watched Russian channels, were exposed to propaganda,' Akhmedyarov told Radio Azattyk. 'They shared this rhetoric, but they had no incentive. When an incentive appeared in the form of money, they got off their butts and went to war.'
Former fighters have reported monthly salaries of up to 240,000 rubles (about $3,000) – a figure more than four times higher than Kazakhstan's average monthly wage of $673. Recruitment efforts remain visible, with social media posts and even physical flyers in public spaces offering enlistment contracts. While most of these materials come from pro-Russian sources, leaflets seeking recruits to fight for Ukraine have also been spotted in Kazakhstan.
The leaflets posted around the country have prompted Kazakhstan's Ministry of Internal Affairs to react. In April, the ministry deemed it necessary to remind Kazakh citizens of the long prison sentences that could await people who join the war in Ukraine. The reminder mentioned not only the nine years Kazakhs could receive for participation in military action abroad, but also the chance of a life sentence for mercenary activity.
The case of 'G,' convicted in January, is hardly an isolated one. In April 2023, Kazakhstan's National Security Committee announced it was investigating 10 citizens for acting as mercenaries in Ukraine. Later that year, at least one of these individual was sentenced for participating in combat with the Wagner Group.
Authorities have since intensified efforts to prosecute such cases. As of April 2025, Kazakhstan's Ministry of Internal Affairs reported 116 active cases related to citizens' participation in foreign armed conflicts. Three are being prosecuted under laws specifically targeting mercenary activity, while the remainder fall under Kazakhstan's broader statute banning unauthorized involvement in overseas conflicts – a legal framework previously used against those who fought for the Islamic State in Syria.
While the exact number of Kazakhs who have fought in Ukraine remains uncertain, the share of soldiers fighting, as reported by Ukraine, suggests that the volume of cases is not insignificant.
With no end to the war in sight, Kazakh authorities continue to expend resources raising awareness of the consequences of foreign military service whether for Russia, Ukraine, or any other party. But as economic hardship and ideological polarization persist, it remains unclear how many more Kazakh citizens will choose to risk prison, or death, for a cause that may or may not be theirs.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Japan Today
4 hours ago
- Japan Today
Ishiba pledges steady progress on defense buildup at SDF meeting
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba told senior Self-Defense Forces officials on Monday that Japan will make "steady progress" boosting its defense capabilities amid concerns over an assertive China and North Korea's nuclear and missile development. Speaking at the Defense Ministry, Ishiba noted that the improvements would be in line with three key strategic documents, including the National Security Strategy. It was the first in-person meeting between the premier and SDF senior command in nearly six years. In his capacity as the commander-in-chief of the SDF, the prime minister conveyed his defense policy and exchanged views on key issues facing the defense forces. Japan aims to boost defense spending and related costs to 2 percent of gross domestic product in fiscal 2027. To stem falling recruitment numbers, it also revised a law in May to improve conditions, including pay. Regarding legal provisions, equipment and unit management, Ishiba, a former defense minister, urged the commanders to "express their views to political leadership as part of your professional duties," adding he expects "active proposals." The meeting was first held in 1964 and typically convened annually until September 2019, with a remote gathering held in 2020 during the coronavirus pandemic. © KYODO
Japan Today
4 hours ago
- Japan Today
Russia says Moscow now occupies all of Ukraine's Luhansk region
Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting on socioeconomic development of Russia-controlled Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporozhye regions at the Senate Palace of the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Monday, June 30, 2025. (Kristina Kormilitsyna, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP) By ILLIA NOVIKOV and GEIR MOULSON A Russia-appointed official in Ukraine's occupied Luhansk region said Monday that Moscow's forces have overrun all of it — one of four regions Russia illegally annexed from Ukraine in September 2022 despite not fully controlling a single one. If confirmed, that would make Luhansk the first Ukrainian region fully occupied by Russia after more than three years of war and as recent U.S.-led international peace efforts have failed to make progress on halting the fighting. Russian President Vladimir Putin has effectively rejected a ceasefire and hasn't budged from his demands, which include Moscow's control over the four illegally annexed regions. There was no immediate comment from Kyiv on the claim made by the Moscow-installed leader of the occupied region, Leonid Pasechnik. In remarks to Russia's state TV Channel One that aired Monday evening, Pasechnik said he received a report 'literally two days ago' saying that '100%' of the region was now under the control of Russian forces. The development came just hours after the top German diplomat said that Germany aims to help Ukraine manufacture more weapons more quickly as Kyiv looks to strengthen its negotiating position in peace talks with Russia. 'We see our task as helping Ukraine so that it can negotiate more strongly,' Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said during a visit to the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, accompanied by German defense industry representatives. 'When Putin speaks of peace today, it is pure mockery," Wadephul told a news conference with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha. "His apparent readiness to negotiate is only a facade so far.' Russia's invasion shows no sign of letting up. Its grinding war of attrition along the roughly 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line and long-range strikes on civilian areas of Ukraine have killed thousands of troops and civilians. Ukraine is outgunned and shorthanded on the front line and international aid has been vital for Ukraine's resistance against its neighbor's bigger army and economy. Germany has been Ukraine's second-largest military backer after the United States, whose continuing support is in doubt. 'We want to build new joint ventures so that Ukraine itself can produce faster and more for its own defense, because your needs are enormous,' Wadephul said while standing next to Sybiha. 'Our arms cooperation is a real trump card — it is a logical continuation of our delivery of material,' Wadephul said. 'And we can even benefit mutually from it — with your wealth of ideas and your experience, we will become better.' Wadephul was also due to meet with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The top German diplomat's trip to Kyiv came less than 48 hours after Russia launched its biggest combined aerial attack against Ukraine over the weekend, Ukrainian officials said, in an escalating bombing campaign that has further dashed hopes for a breakthrough in peace efforts. Ukraine's air force said Monday it detected 107 Russian Shahed and decoy drones in the country's air space overnight. Strikes in Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv region left two civilians dead and eight injured, including a 6-year-old child, regional Gov. Oleh Syniehubov said Monday. The aerial onslaughts are calculated by Russia to squeeze Ukraine into submission, according to the Institute for the Study of War. 'Russia is continuing to use increasingly large numbers of drones in its overnight strike packages in order to overwhelm Ukrainian air defenses and enable subsequent cruise and ballistic missile strikes,' the Washington-based think tank said late Sunday. 'The increases in Russia's strike packages in recent weeks are largely due to Russia's efforts to scale up its defense industrial production, particularly of Shahed and decoy drones and ballistic missiles,' the institute added. Sybiha thanked Germany for its contribution to Ukraine's air defense and urged Berlin to send more antimissile systems. The Russians 'are attacking civilian targets in order to create panic, to influence the mood of our population,' he said. 'The key is the air defense system.' Berlin has balked at granting Zelenskyy's request to provide Ukraine with powerful German- and Swedish-made Taurus long-range missiles, which could potentially hit targets inside Russia. That is due to fears such a move could enrage the Kremlin and draw NATO into Europe's biggest conflict since World War II. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz pledged in May to help Ukraine develop its own long-range missile systems that would be free of any Western-imposed limitations on their use and targets. © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
The Diplomat
7 hours ago
- The Diplomat
Propaganda, Pay, and Prison: The Kazakhs Fighting in Ukraine
While many Central Asian migrants have been coerced or pressured into fighting for Russia in Ukraine, a number of Kazakh citizens have taken up arms voluntarily. On January 14, a Kazakh citizen, given the pseudonym 'G' by the court, was sentenced to four years and six months in prison for fighting with the Russian paramilitary organization Wagner Group. He is not alone. While a few Kazakhs have reportedly fought on the Ukrainian side, the majority of those who have traveled to the frontlines appear to have joined the Russian forces. In April, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry's 'I Want to Live' project published a list of 661 Kazakh nationals believed to have joined the Russian military. Of those, 78 were confirmed killed in action – a number limited to individuals the ministry could verify with confidence. While many Kazakh nationals fighting for Russia were likely labor migrants in search of a better income, who subsequently ended up at the front, others have crossed the border with the intention of joining the military from the outset. The Russian government continues to welcome new recruits, while Kazakhstan's government attempts to dissuade its citizens from taking part in what it deems a foreign war, reminding them of the significant legal consequences. Under Kazakh law, fighting in foreign wars can lead to up to nine years in prison. However, this legal risk has not deterred everyone. 'G,' the man sentenced in January, for instance, reportedly claimed he was motivated by ideological reasons, citing the treatment of Russian speakers in Ukraine as his main motivation for joining the war. For others, the incentive may be simpler: money. According to Kazakh journalist Lukpan Akhmedyarov, newer fighters have, like previous recruits, been heavily influenced by Russian propaganda. However, he describes financial incentives as the final push. 'These are people who sat in front of the TV for many years, watched Russian channels, were exposed to propaganda,' Akhmedyarov told Radio Azattyk. 'They shared this rhetoric, but they had no incentive. When an incentive appeared in the form of money, they got off their butts and went to war.' Former fighters have reported monthly salaries of up to 240,000 rubles (about $3,000) – a figure more than four times higher than Kazakhstan's average monthly wage of $673. Recruitment efforts remain visible, with social media posts and even physical flyers in public spaces offering enlistment contracts. While most of these materials come from pro-Russian sources, leaflets seeking recruits to fight for Ukraine have also been spotted in Kazakhstan. The leaflets posted around the country have prompted Kazakhstan's Ministry of Internal Affairs to react. In April, the ministry deemed it necessary to remind Kazakh citizens of the long prison sentences that could await people who join the war in Ukraine. The reminder mentioned not only the nine years Kazakhs could receive for participation in military action abroad, but also the chance of a life sentence for mercenary activity. The case of 'G,' convicted in January, is hardly an isolated one. In April 2023, Kazakhstan's National Security Committee announced it was investigating 10 citizens for acting as mercenaries in Ukraine. Later that year, at least one of these individual was sentenced for participating in combat with the Wagner Group. Authorities have since intensified efforts to prosecute such cases. As of April 2025, Kazakhstan's Ministry of Internal Affairs reported 116 active cases related to citizens' participation in foreign armed conflicts. Three are being prosecuted under laws specifically targeting mercenary activity, while the remainder fall under Kazakhstan's broader statute banning unauthorized involvement in overseas conflicts – a legal framework previously used against those who fought for the Islamic State in Syria. While the exact number of Kazakhs who have fought in Ukraine remains uncertain, the share of soldiers fighting, as reported by Ukraine, suggests that the volume of cases is not insignificant. With no end to the war in sight, Kazakh authorities continue to expend resources raising awareness of the consequences of foreign military service whether for Russia, Ukraine, or any other party. But as economic hardship and ideological polarization persist, it remains unclear how many more Kazakh citizens will choose to risk prison, or death, for a cause that may or may not be theirs.
