The key facts

  • The Kyrgyz Embassy sent a note to the Russian Foreign Ministry and letters to the competent Russian authorities demanding an investigation and punishment of those responsible
  • According to Azattyk Asia, the case concerns 21-year-old Elistan Toktogulov, who was promised a salary of up to 110,000 rubles for work as a driver
  • Relatives claim he is at a training ground in Voronezh Region and is being prepared for deployment to the war in Ukraine

The note and the demand for an investigation

The Kyrgyz Embassy in Russia sent a note to the Russian Foreign Ministry regarding the return home of a Kyrgyz citizen who ended up in the Russian army 'as a result of fraudulent actions by unidentified individuals.' This was announced on the website of the Kyrgyz Foreign Ministry, as reported by Gazeta. The Embassy also sent official letters to the competent Russian authorities demanding a comprehensive investigation, identification of those responsible, and their prosecution under the law. In the statement, the citizen is identified only by initials — 'E.T.'; the Foreign Ministry noted that the Embassy maintains constant contact with his relatives and is keeping the matter 'under special control.'

What the relatives say

The outlet Azattyk Asia specifiesthat the case concerns 21-year-old Elistan Toktogulov. According to his relatives, who recorded a video address to the authorities in Manas on November 3, in the autumn of 2026 he found a job advertisement for work in Russia on social media and contacted a compatriot already there. He was offered several vacancies, including a truck driver position, with a promised salary of up to 110,000 rubles (about $1,350). After arriving in Russia, Toktogulov was taken to a military unit; according to his relatives, he is currently at a training ground in Voronezh Region and is being prepared for deployment to the war in Ukraine. The Kyrgyz Foreign Ministry also recommended that citizens carefully review the contents of contracts and agreements before signing them 'to avoid possible negative consequences.'

Kazakhstan's precedent and a similar case in 2025

This is not the first such case in the region. According to Gazeta, in early October the Kazakh Foreign Ministry negotiated with the Russian side over the return of a group of Kazakhstanis who had gone to Russia to work but were pressured into signing contracts with the Russian Defense Ministry; on October 22, 13 citizens of Kazakhstan returned home. The newspaper also recalls a similar episode in the summer of 2025: a Kyrgyz citizen who was promised a highly paid job in Moscow was offered a contract with the Russian Defense Ministry, but after the intervention of the Kyrgyz Embassy he refused military service in writing. In the current case, no information about Toktogulov's return has been reported so far — the note merely records Kyrgyzstan's demand and the start of an investigation through Russian agencies.