| Submit your comments on this article |
| Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia |
| The fate of a volunteer. What kind of support is missing for foreign participants of the SVO? |
| 2023-12-08 |
| Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Mikhail Zakharov [REGNUM] A few days apart, two messages arrived related to the same topic - the fate of citizens of the former Soviet republics who voluntarily participated in the defense of Russia in the Northern Military District. The first message is alarming, the second is encouraging. The first case is the trial in Kazakhstan of a 34-year-old participant in the battles for Artyomovsk, Kazakh citizen Alexei Shompolov . On November 29, one of the district courts of Karaganda sentenced a veteran of the Russian special operation to 6 years and 8 months in prison. The former fighter was charged with the article “Mercenarism” - according to the Kazakh investigation, Shompolov participated in the battles for Artyomovsk as part of the assault units of the private military company (PMC) “Wagner”. During heavy fighting, he was wounded, discharged, and then returned to his homeland, where he was detained by the police. “FOR UNDERMINING THE INTEGRITY OF UKRAINE” The wording used by the justice of the country, which is our partner in the CSTO and the Eurasian Economic Union, is curious. From the point of view of the Kazakh court, Shompolov’s actions as part of the PMC were aimed “at undermining the constitutional order and violating the territorial integrity of Ukraine.” Therefore, a “mercenary” falls under the relevant article of the Kazakh Criminal Code. The court's verdict on a real sentence for Shompolov has already entered into force - moreover, payments from PMCs, obtained, according to Kazakh law enforcement officers, by criminal means, were confiscated. As is known from the words of Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev , Russia and Kazakhstan today indicate “a mutual desire to expand political, economic, investment, cultural and humanitarian ties.” Let us note that Shompolov, convicted for participation in the SVO, is the living embodiment of these connections: he was born in the Krasnoyarsk Territory, Russian, but a citizen of the Republic of Kazakhstan. But in some respects, Astana clearly has a very specific attitude towards Moscow's policies and actions. In April of this year, the National Security Committee (NSC) of Kazakhstan reported on the investigation of ten criminal cases regarding the participation of citizens of the country in the conflict in Ukraine - however, the KNS did not provide details about their defendants, including on whose side they are fighting. However, in the same month, the official representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan, Aibek Smadiyarov, warned the Kazakh student Margulan Bekenov , who joined Wagner, that a real prison sentence awaits him in his homeland. “This is criminally prosecuted here in Kazakhstan,” Smadiyarov said then, speaking about participation in PMCs. But, as it turns out, you can be persecuted for supporting the SVO in the republic without joining the ranks of the “Wagners.” Thus, Kazakh parliament member Azamat Abildaev was deprived of his mandate only for statements in support of a special military operation, and was also expelled from the ranks of the Ak Zhol party, allegedly because of their contradiction to party and parliamentary ethics. The law is harsh, but it is the law; for Kazakhstan and its law enforcement officers, citizens of the country who take part in the SVO are criminals, Roman Yuneman , a Russian public figure who has lived in Kazakhstan for a long time, emphasizes in a conversation with IA Regnum . It is worth mentioning that Kazakh citizen Zhasulan Duisembin is fighting on the side of the Kiev regime , which raises the question: will this character receive the same sentence and confiscation of his earnings in Ukraine if he decides to return to his homeland? It seems that the problem as a whole is much deeper and wider than it might seem at first glance. But first, we must mention the second, this time encouraging message about the fate of the foreign volunteer. HAPPY OUTCOME IN MANUAL MODE The other day it became known that the sad fate of Alexei Shompolov was narrowly avoided by a native of Uzbekistan, Alexander Babkov , who also faced criminal liability there. Previously, Babkov went to the Northern Military District as a volunteer, participated in heavy battles for Soledar and Artyomovsk, received the state award “For Courage” and a number of other medals: “Bakhmut Meat Grinder”, “For the Capture of Bakhmut”. However, despite his military merits, he had difficulties obtaining Russian citizenship, as well as obtaining a combat veteran’s certificate and official employment. In addition, his temporary registration expires in January 2024, which could lead to his deportation to Uzbekistan. “It turns out that I am a member of the SVO, I have awards, but there is no help. A veteran's certificate is issued only to citizens of the Russian Federation. They won’t hire me without documents. I work part-time as a loader, but, of course, that’s not the job. I didn’t know where else to turn, so I turned to the “Not One on One” project. I will continue to try to obtain citizenship,” Babkov said in an interview with RT . Today, the issue of the legal status of a veteran of the Northern Military District has been taken under control by the head of the Main Directorate for Migration Issues of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Valentina Kazakova. As official representative of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Irina Volk assured , “my colleagues will try to process everything as quickly as possible. Alexander can be sure of this.” The only question that remains is why the problem of a fighter who fought for our country was solved virtually manually, while by presidential decree he was supposed to receive Russian citizenship under simplified conditions. Let us note that Tashkent also warned that citizens of the country who decided to take part in the SVO, according to Article 154 of the Criminal Code of the Republic “Mercenarism”, would face imprisonment for up to ten years. And there were precedents: a month ago, the Yukorichirchik court sentenced Ildar Khairulin, a resident of the Tashkent region, to five years in prison for military actions in 2014–2015 on the side of the DPR. It should be clarified that the Armed Forces of Ukraine also had at least one citizen of Uzbekistan as a foreign mercenary. And in the country, despite the declared neutrality , there are citizens who support the Kiev regime not only in word, but also in deed. Therefore, we should be especially attentive to the fate of the people of Uzbekistan who participated in the battles for the interests of our country in Ukraine. “BY THE VERY FACT OF PERFORMING COMBAT MISSIONS” Some work in terms of protecting foreign volunteers is already underway, noted military expert Anatoly Matviychuk in a commentary to IA Regnum . “I know that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in particular diplomats in the CIS countries, carried out explanatory work and sent out letters asking them not to consider volunteers from the CSTO countries and the CIS countries participating in hostilities in Donbass as mercenaries,” says the expert. However, the interlocutor of IA Regnum notes , it is unlikely that all the recipients of these letters will meet the interests of Moscow. Therefore, many citizens who came to help us at the call of their hearts and consciences may still be subject to criminal prosecution under the laws of those countries where participation in the North Military District is regarded as mercenary activity. Effective influence on the leadership of these states now seems extremely unlikely, says military instructor, publicist, and native of Almaty Svyatoslav Golikov . “I do not observe any official initiatives regarding the protection of the rights of our volunteers in the near abroad from the Russian side,” Regnum Golikov shared his opinion with the news agency . He believes that the anti-Russian course of those countries does not change, and, “moreover, after the start of the Northeast Military District, the situation will only deteriorate.” Yes, for the countries of the former USSR and local law enforcement officers, their citizens who take part in the SVO are criminals, such is the official attitude there. “This is a very sensitive issue, but these are the political realities in most of the former Soviet republics; the attitude towards our volunteers has recently changed positively only in Belarus,” the expert adds. Experts interviewed by Regnum news agency believe that people who fought in the Northern Military District and have proven their right to be citizens of Russia should be quickly granted citizenship - as was done in relation to Babkov. Particular attention should be paid to the speed and efficiency of the procedure for granting citizenship to people who fought for Russia - the examples of Shompolov and Babkov show that the indifference and passivity of government bodies can result in big troubles for our soldiers. “Especially against the backdrop of the fact that, meanwhile, Russian citizenship is being massively received by residents of the Central Asian republics, who often view Russia as a “food supply,” but in no way as a Motherland for which they are ready to fight ,” notes Golikov. In his opinion, it is absolutely necessary to clearly and unambiguously formalize the right of volunteers with foreign citizenship to obtain Russian citizenship in the most simplified and expedited manner “based on the very fact of performing combat or service missions, both directly during the Northern Military District, and more broadly, starting with the 2014 militia " ANONYMOUS LEGIONNAIRES All SVO participants from countries where they are persecuted for their beliefs need to think about asylum in the Russian Federation, and they should exclude trips abroad, Nikolai Kostikin, an expert at the Bureau of Military-Political Analysis , told IA Regnum . It must be borne in mind that in some countries not only volunteers, but also members of their families are persecuted, the interlocutor notes. Considering that the legislation of almost all CIS countries is aimed against the participation of citizens of these countries in hostilities on the side of Russia, special measures are needed to protect volunteers. “For example, in France, the foreign legion practiced concealing or even changing the identity of a legionnaire. Perhaps this practice should be applied here too,” adds Kostikin. There is also little doubt about the need to take measures to rescue people who are legally entitled to a Russian passport. In addition, it is necessary to understand the question of why the citizen of Kazakhstan Shompolov and the citizen of Uzbekistan Babkov did not receive Russian citizenship in their time under a simplified procedure. Perhaps this was due to their own reluctance, but there could also be problems at the legal level, and in the worst case, the elementary reluctance of those in charge to understand the problem. There are those who want to defend Russia in various parts of the world, and their number is not as small as it might seem, IA Regnum’s interlocutors emphasize. They support us in difficult times for the country, and Russia must show that it does not abandon its own - and this must be not only words, but also actions. |
| Posted by:badanov |
| #1 "he was wounded, discharged, and then returned to his homeland, where he was detained by the police" You weren't supposed to come back. |
| Posted by: ed in texas 2023-12-08 13:46 |