“We inform you that the National Security Committee (KNB) is conducting a pre-trial investigation regarding this matter under Article 172 of the Criminal Code (Participation in Foreign Armed Conflicts). Other information is not subject to disclosure in accordance with part 1 of Article 201 of the Criminal Procedure Code,” the KNB stated.
In Kazakhstan, the penalty for mercenarism can range from seven to 12 years of imprisonment. For participation in foreign conflicts, the sentence is from five to nine years.
Previously, Kazakh citizen Petr Miroshnichenko appealed to President Vladimir Putin with a request for Russian citizenship. He explained that, despite his involvement in the war in Ukraine, he was expelled from Russia for violating immigration laws and could no longer return to Kazakhstan due to the threat of imprisonment for mercenarism. In response, the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs stated that they would grant Miroshnichenko temporary asylum.