Kazakh Citizens Drawn Into Ukraine War Return Home, Lawyer Says

Twelve Kazakh citizens who went to Russia for work and were drawn into the war in Ukraine have returned home, according to lawyer Meyrman Shekeyev. He said they were released from military obligations and legal obstacles to their return were removed, with help from Kazakh state bodies.

In an Instagram post, Shekeyev wrote: «This is not just a return home. Behind it are parents' tears, families' hopes and the return of citizens of Kazakhstan to their homeland. Huge thanks to everyone who made efforts so that each of these guys can today be on native soil, in their country, next to their parents!»

Shekeyev said the previous day that 13 Kazakh citizens were being prepared for release from the combat zone in Ukraine, and a diplomatic note addressed to Russia had been sent to the Foreign Ministry. Deputy Foreign Minister Yerzhan Ashikbayev has said that prisoner exchanges between Russia and Ukraine and dual citizenship cases complicate such returns. About 30 Central Asian citizens have been captured since the war began.