Kazakh Citizen Sentenced to Six Years for Fighting with Russia Against Ukraine

Kazakh Court Convicts Yevgeny Luft

According to Главком: A court in Kazakhstan has sentenced 25-year-old citizen Yevgeny Luft to six years in prison for participating in the war against Ukraine on the side of the Russian Federation. The Kyzylzhar District Court of the North Kazakhstan Region delivered the verdict, imposing the custodial sentence.

Luft, a resident of the village of Bugrovoye, traveled to Russia in February 2025 seeking work. While in Moscow, he was recruited to fight in the military conflict against Ukraine. The recruitment process promised him several incentives, including:

• expedited Russian citizenship,
• a plot of land,
• and monetary compensation in the event of his death.

Following this, Luft was taken to Nizhny Novgorod, where he signed a one-year contract with the Russian Ministry of Defense.

Between February and April 2025, Luft participated in combat operations, including in the temporarily occupied Luhansk region and in Bakhmut in the Donetsk region. He was wounded on April 30, 2025, and received hospital treatment from May 1 to 5 before being granted leave. After his treatment, Luft left Russia without authorization and returned to Kazakhstan. He subsequently obtained Russian citizenship on June 27, 2025.

In his defense, Luft claimed,

"the migration service is to blame in this situation, as they allegedly failed to send confirmation of my renunciation of citizenship."

Over the past year, Kazakh authorities have initiated approximately 700 criminal cases against citizens who fought against Ukraine as part of Russian military units. This reflects Kazakhstan's delicate position, balancing relations with its powerful neighbor Russia and upholding international norms.

A Shift in Kazakhstan's Legal Stance

This case highlights a significant shift in Kazakhstan's legal approach toward citizens participating in foreign conflicts. Verdicts like this one serve as a stark warning to other potential participants, emphasizing the severe consequences of joining military actions on the side of an aggressor state. The rising number of criminal proceedings underscores that Kazakh authorities are now actively monitoring and seeking to prevent their citizens from being drawn into combat abroad, marking a notable policy change.