The Russian Defense Ministry said it had not contacted the authorities of Kazakhstan, Georgia or other countries “concerning the issue of a supposedly forced return to Russia of Russian citizens who are there”.
The Russian Ministry of Defense indicated on Tuesday September 27 that it would not solicit foreign governments to obtain the extradition of thousands of Russians who fled the country in order to escape mobilization to fight in Ukraine.
“The Russian Defense Ministry, within the framework of the partial mobilization, has not sent, has not prepared and will not send requests to the authorities of Kazakhstan, Georgia and other countries regarding the issue of allegedly forced return to Russia of Russian citizens therethe ministry said in a statement.
Kazakhstan, land of welcome
Since the announcement of a military mobilizationpartialof reservists on September 21, tens of thousands of Russian men of fighting age fled abroad, particularly to the former Soviet republics of Central Asia and the Caucasus. If a Russian citizen receives a summons and does not report to a military police station, he can theoretically be considered a deserter and placed on the wanted list in Russia.
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Kazakh Interior Minister Marat Akhmetjanov quoted Interfax as saying on Tuesday that Astana would be forced to extradite Russians fleeing the mobilization only if they were placed on the official wanted list. in Russia. Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has promised to protect Russians who can be mobilized who have fled to Kazakhstan, while relations between Astana and Moscow have suffered a cold snap since the Russian offensive in Ukraine.
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