Kazakhstan’s National Security Committee (KNB) is investigating Kazakhstani citizen Petr Miroshnichenko, not for mercenarism, but for participating in foreign armed conflicts, the agency told Kursiv.media.
«The KNB is conducting a pre-trial investigation under Article 172 (Participation in foreign armed conflicts) of the Criminal Code. Other details, under Part 1 of Article 201 of the Criminal Procedural Code, are not subject to disclosure,» the committee stated.
In Kazakhstan, a conviction for mercenarism carries a prison sentence of seven to 12 years, while participation in foreign conflicts is punishable by five to nine years.
On Feb. 19, Miroshnichenko appealed to Russian President Vladimir Putin, requesting Russian citizenship. He claimed that despite fighting in the war in Ukraine, he was expelled from Russia for violating migration laws. He also said he could not return to Kazakhstan due to the risk of imprisonment for mercenarism. In response, the Russian Interior Ministry stated it would grant him temporary asylum.
