The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Tajikistan has rejected a statement by Nikolai Patrushev, the Secretary of Russia’s Security Council that Ukraine has allegedly recruited mercenaries in Tajikistan.
Patrushev earlier last week accused officials of the Ukrainian Embassy in Dushanbe of recruiting mercenaries to participate in military operations, including against Russia.
Some media reports say the Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev stated that at the 19th annual meeting of the Security Council Secretaries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member nations that took place in Kazakhstan’s capital, Astana, on April 2-3.
The meeting participants exchanged opinions on combatting terrorism, extremism, and separatism, enhancing cooperation to address contemporary threats and challenges, and also addressed issues concerning regional security.
Speaking at meeting, Patrushev reportedly said that Ukraine was recruiting the mercenaries via an operation run out of its Embassy in Dushanbe.
Shohin Samadi, a representative of the Tajik MFA, said on April 6 that Patrushev’s statement “has no basis”.
Experts note that if widely reported in Russia, Patrushev’s remarks could cause further difficulties for Tajik and other Central Asian migrant workers in the country who have endured a backlash since the March 22 terrorist attack on the Crocus City Hall concert arena in Krasnogorsk that killed at least 144 people.
Nikolai Patrushev (born July 11, 1951) is a Russian politician, security officer and former intelligence officer who has served as the Secretary of the Security Council of Russia since 2008. He previously served as the director of the Federal Security Service (FSB) from 1999 to 2008. Patrushev is believed to be one of the closest advisors to Putin and a leading figure behind Russia's national security affairs. He played a key role in the decisions to seize and then annex Crimea in 2014 and to invade Ukraine in 2022. He is considered as very hawkish towards the West and the United States. Patrushev is seen by some observers as one of the likeliest candidates for succeeding Putin.
