The statement of the secretary of the Security Council of russia, Nikolai Patrushev, that the Ukrainian embassy in Dushanbe is recruiting citizens of Tajikistan for the war, is not true, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Central Asian republic said, Reuters reports.
"We drew attention to (…) the statement of the secretary of the Security Council of the russian federation, Nikolai Patrushev, about the alleged recruitment of mercenaries by the Embassy of Ukraine in Dushanbe to participate in hostilities against russia. We note that this statement by a russian official has no basis whatsoever," the press secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Shahin Samadi said to TASS.
He emphasized that "the competent authorities of Tajikistan are taking the necessary measures" so that foreign diplomats accredited in the republic do not engage in activities "incompatible with their status." Samadi called on high-ranking russian officials in the future to "refrain from unverified statements and comments that can mislead the public."
Patrushev accused Ukraine of recruiting mercenaries in Tajikistan in order to replenish the International Legion on April 3 - at a meeting of the secretaries of the security councils of the member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Astana. At the same time, he said that the "Ukrainian special services" were behind the terrorist attack in the Crocus City Hall concert hall near Moscow, which citizens of Tajikistan are accused of committing. At the same time, Patrushev did not provide any proof of his words.
In Tajikistan, the recruitment, training and financing of mercenaries, as well as their use in armed conflict, is punishable by imprisonment. Back in September 2022, the embassy of the republic in russia called on compatriots to refrain from participating in hostilities on the territory of foreign countries, reminding them of criminal liability. Similar warnings were issued by the embassies of Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan.
In Ukraine, it is allowed to admit to the International Legion only those foreigners who are in its territory on legal grounds and have no criminal record. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the country, over the past six years, about 500 people from Tajikistan have received Ukrainian passports. At the same time, according to the statistics of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the russian federation, more than 200,000 Tajiks were granted russian citizenship in five years.
In August 2023, the Minister of Internal Affairs of Tajikistan Ramazon Rahimzoda said that about 100 citizens who were serving sentences in russian prisons were sent to the war with Ukraine.
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