Kyrgyzstan demands Russia return citizen allegedly tricked into joining its army
Kyrgyzstan has formally asked Russia to return one of its citizens who was allegedly deceived into joining the Russian military to fight against Ukraine, as reports of similar recruitment schemes involving foreign nationals continue to emerge.
The Kyrgyz Embassy in Moscow sent a diplomatic note to Russia's Foreign Ministry requesting the citizen's return and an investigation into those responsible for his recruitment, The Moscow Times reported on November 6, citing the Kyrgyz Foreign Ministry.
According to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's Azattyq Asia, the case concerns 21-year-old Elistan Toktogulov from Kyrgyzstan's Talas region.
Toktogulov reportedly responded to a social media advertisement in the fall of 2026 offering civilian jobs in Russia, including work as a security guard or driver. The recruiter, who presented himself as a fellow Kyrgyz national living in Russia, promised a monthly salary of 110,000 rubles - approximately three times the median wage in Kyrgyzstan.
After traveling to Russia, Toktogulov was allegedly deceived into signing a contract with the Russian Defense Ministry and sent to a military training ground in Voronezh Oblast to prepare for deployment to the war in Ukraine.
His relatives held a protest in the Kyrgyz city of Manas on November 3 and recorded a video appeal asking the authorities to help bring him home.
Kyrgyzstan's Foreign Ministry subsequently called on Russia to release the citizen and investigate the circumstances of his recruitment. It also warned Kyrgyz nationals in Russia to carefully examine employment contracts and other documents before signing them.
The case follows similar allegations involving citizens of neighboring Kazakhstan. Twelve Kazakh nationals who said they had traveled to Russia for civilian jobs but were instead recruited into its military returned home on October 22 after being released from their military obligations, according to the Kazakh outlet Kursiv.
The issue extends beyond Central Asia. In a report published in late October, an independent United Nations commission investigating violations committed during Russia's war against Ukraine documented deceptive or coercive recruitment practices involving people from at least 29 countries.
The commission described recruiters targeting economically vulnerable people with promises of civilian employment in Russia, only for some recruits to be pressured or deceived into signing military contracts after arriving.
There has been no reported confirmation that Toktogulov has been released or returned to Kyrgyzstan.