[ad_1]
Kazakhstan is preparing to deport a senior Russian security official who fled the country because he disagrees with the invasion of Ukraine and hoped to find refuge in the West.
Hundreds of thousands of Russians fled to Kazakhstan and other neighboring countries after the war began. Many of them are civilians who cross the border legally to avoid conscription.
As an employee of the Federal Security Service, which guards President Vladimir Putin, 36-year-old Major Mikhail Zhilin is not allowed to leave Russia. However, he fled to Kazakhstan in September when it became clear that he could be sent to Ukraine.
His wife Ekaterina, who reported the deportation, and their two children also went to Kazakhstan, but legally.
Zhilin was subsequently sentenced to deportation. He tried to flee to Armenia but was detained before boarding the plane.
Zhilin’s wife said that two days ago a Kazakh court confirmed the decision to hand him over to the Russian authorities. Yesterday he was already being taken to the border while she tried to contact human rights lawyers to try to prevent his deportation.
So far, there is no comment from the Kazakh Ministry of Internal Affairs.
The former Soviet republic in Central Asia rejected Zhilin’s request to grant him refugee status amid efforts to maintain friendly relations with Russia, an important trading partner, while avoiding actions that could be perceived as support for its invasion of Ukraine. Most Kazakhs are against the war, Reuters notes
[ad_2]
Source link