The administration of the colony in Russia is forcing convicted citizens of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan to voluntarily go to war in Ukraine. The Russian authorities are forcing hundreds of prisoners who are citizens of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan to go to war against Ukraine. Citizens from Central Asian countries serving sentences in Russian colonies are being […]
The administration of the colony in Russia is forcing convicted citizens of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan to voluntarily go to war in Ukraine.
The Russian authorities are forcing hundreds of prisoners who are citizens of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan to go to war against Ukraine.
Citizens from Central Asian countries serving sentences in Russian colonies are being mass coerced into signing contracts and sent to war in Ukraine. This was reported by “Current Time” citing its sources.
It is reported that a group of migrant prisoners from the colony wrote a letter to the editorial office of “Current Time,” stating that there are approximately 400 prisoners who are citizens of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan being held there.
In the letter, the prisoners reported that they were presented with three conditions:
Prisoners who are citizens of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan write that they are treated roughly and insulted on religious grounds. Colony staff also encourage other prisoners to beat the convicted migrants. Conditions have been created in the colony for them to prefer to die in war rather than endure the humiliation from the guards and other prisoners in the colony.
Reports that migrants in Russia are being forcibly sent to war in Ukraine have been received before.
In 2023, it was reported that Russian law enforcement regularly conducts raids, mass detaining labor migrants and forcibly delivering them to military enlistment offices or handing them summonses on the spot. Migrants are also promised expedited issuance of Russian passports if they sign a contract with the Ministry of Defense.
Many natives of Tajikistan without Russian citizenship have already died in this war. Although according to current Tajik legislation, participation of citizens in military actions on the territory of other countries is considered a criminal offense, the official Dushanbe has not reacted to the forced call of Tajiks into the Russian army.
Moreover, Russian authorities are also forcing those who have obtained Russian citizenship but have not served in the Russian army to go to war.
In June 2024, the head of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation, Alexander Bastrykin, stated that more than 30,000 foreigners who recently obtained Russian citizenship and did not register for military service had been identified in Russia. Of these, “about 10,000 have already been sent to the zone of the special military operation,” Bastrykin said at that time.