A Kyrgyz man who was handed a suspended seven-year prison term for joining Russia's armed forces and fighting in Ukraine is expected to obtain Russian citizenship, Russian Interior Ministry spokeswoman Irina Volk said over the weekend. Askar Kubanychbek-uulu told Russian journalists that he had fled Kyrgyzstan via neighboring Kazakhstan and is currently in Russia. Meanwhile, according to a ruling in January by Bishkek's Birinchi Mai district court, Kubanychbek-uulu was banned from leaving the Kyrgyz capital while serving a three-year probation period that was part of his seven-year suspended sentence. Kyrgyz authorities have yet to comment on the situation. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service, click here.
Kyrgyz Man Convicted Of Being Mercenary To Get Russian Citizenship
Askar Kubanychbek-uulu (file photo)