At least 360 citizens of Kyrgyzstan fought as part of the Russian army in Ukraine, some of these people have already died. Their names were published by the Ukrainian state project "I Want to Live," which helps Russian and Belarusian military personnel surrender in Ukraine, as well as those who were mobilized into the Russian army in territories occupied by Russia. Project staff emphasize that the list is incomplete and the actual number of recruited foreigners from Kyrgyzstan in the Russian army is higher. However, identifying them is not always possible, primarily because many people from Kyrgyzstan in the Russian army are documented as Russians since they have Russian passports.
The youngest on the list is 18 years old: he signed the contract almost immediately upon reaching adulthood. The oldest is 63 years old. At least 38 people from the "I Want to Live" list have already died, and there is information about the date of their death and place of burial. The shortest service period is 12 days from the moment of signing the contract to death.
Lawyer Mirlan Toktobekov explained to "Idel.Realities"* that citizens of Kyrgyzstan are enticed by large payments and accelerated acquisition of Russian citizenship. Among the contractors are people over 45-50 years old who believe in television, believe in propaganda. There are also those who want to earn money. In addition, Russian law enforcement practices raids on migrants, offering detained individuals from Central Asian countries a choice between deportation or signing a contract.
Experts working with migrants in Russia emphasize that the authorities of Central Asian states do not care much about the fate of their citizens and the possibility of them ending up in war. Especially since the authorities of Kyrgyzstan did not condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
* Recognized in Russia as a "foreign agent" and "undesirable" organization.