A resident of Kazakhstan received a term for participating in Russia’s war against Ukraine

In Kazakhstan, a 34-year-old resident of Topar village, in the Karaganda region, Alexey Shompolov was sentenced to six years and eight months in prison for participating in Russia’s war against Ukraine.

As noted, Shompolov fought on the side of Russia as part of PMC “Wagner”. The courts of both instances found him guilty on charges of “mercenary” and also sentenced him to confiscation of funds in the amount of more than 205 thousand rubles, which the court considered to be funds obtained by criminal means.

As reported to the Kazakh service of Radio Liberty – “Radio Azattyk” – in the regional court, the verdict has already entered into force. On November 15, the appellate court left the verdict unchanged.

By court decision, Shompolov was found guilty and sentenced “for committing a serious criminal offense against the peace and security of mankind.” The court qualified his actions as involvement in military operations “aimed at overthrowing or undermining the constitutional order or violating the territorial integrity of the state.”

Alexey Shompolov himself asked the court to assign him a punishment not related to deprivation of liberty. According to the court, Shompolov was listed as unemployed. It is reported that he admitted his guilt and repented. In court, he said that he needed money.

• Kazakhstan is considered a close economic and military ally of Moscow, having a common section of the border with Russia with a length of seven and a half thousand kilometers. Despite the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Astana maintains strong ties with Moscow. The leaders of the two countries periodically meet and participate in joint events.
• Kazakhstan is among the 32 states that abstained from voting on the UN resolution in February of this year, calling for an immediate end to the invasion of the Russian army in Ukraine and the withdrawal of all Russian troops from Ukrainian territory.
• At the same time, in October 2023, it became known that Kazakhstan limited the export to Russia of goods that can be used for military purposes. The West called on Russia’s neighboring countries to observe sanctions against Moscow due to its aggression against Ukraine.