Russia Abducts Citizens Abroad for Trial Back Home

Russia has been conducting operations to detain its citizens in Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan, bringing them back to Russia for trial. This practice has emerged following the start of the full-scale war and the announcement of mobilization, which prompted many Russians to leave the country.

According to Meduza, some countries have extradited Russians at the request of law enforcement agencies, while in other cases, individuals facing criminal charges have been deported. However, some have been outright abducted and taken to Russia. For instance, Georgy Pirogov was sentenced to 23 years for “treason” by the Moscow City Court, with his relatives claiming he was abducted in Uzbekistan and brought to Moscow.

Cases include the detention of Dmitry Setrakov and Anatoly Shchetinin in Armenia, the abduction of Rafail Shepelev in Georgia, Kamil Kasimov in Kazakhstan, and the cases of Lev Skoryakin, Alyona Krylova, and Alexei Rozhkov in Kyrgyzstan. These individuals have been returned to Russia and faced charges, often related to desertion, terrorism, or discrediting the army.

For example, Alexei Rozhkov, who fled to Kyrgyzstan after setting fire to a military enlistment office, was convicted in Russia of carrying out a terrorist attack and sentenced to 16 years in prison. Kamil Kasimov, who deserted the Russian army and fled to Kazakhstan, was abducted and sentenced to six years in Russia.