Kazakhstan Opens 700 Criminal Cases Against Citizens Who Joined Russian Forces in Ukraine

Kazakh authorities have launched around 700 criminal cases this year against citizens who joined Russian forces fighting against Ukraine, according to a Mediazona on December 25.

The outlet said courts do not differentiate between the structures in which the defendants served. Similar sentences have been issued to former members of the Wagner Group and to individuals who signed contracts with Russia’s Ministry of Defense. Under Kazakhstan’s Criminal Code, participation in the war itself is treated as the realization of criminal intent, regardless of affiliation.

Mediazona and the Russian-language service of the BBC estimate that roughly 200 citizens or natives of Kazakhstan have been killed while fighting against Ukraine.

Journalists note that in previous years Kazakh authorities generally limited their response to warnings about criminal liability for involvement in foreign conflicts, opening only several dozen cases annually. The approach shifted after personal data of suspected mercenaries became public.

Additionally, in April and July 2025, Ukraine’s state-run project “I Want to Live” released a list of 1,200 Kazakh nationals who are fighting or have fought on Russia’s side in the war against Ukraine.

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As reported by Mediazona, Kazakhstan’s Criminal Code contains two provisions used to prosecute participation in foreign armed conflicts. Article 172, “Participation in armed conflicts or military operations on the territory of a foreign state,” carries a maximum sentence of nine years in prison. Article 170, “Mercenarism,” is more severe and allows for life imprisonment if involvement in killings is proven, along with mandatory confiscation of property.

2025 has recorded the highest number of such cases since the start of the war, with 709 investigations opened under the participation article and 28 under the mercenarism charge, the outlet reported.

Earlier, it was reported that Russia’s deepening manpower shortage is driving the Kremlin to step up increasingly coercive and misleading efforts to recruit foreign nationals for combat in Ukraine, according to Ukrainian officials and testimony from captured fighters.

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