Tajikistan’s Human Rights Ombudsman, Umed Bobozoda, confirmed that citizens of Tajikistan serving their jail terms in Russian prisons are being sent to fight in the war in Ukraine. However, he emphasized that most of them hold dual citizenship and are participating in the conflict as Russian citizens.
Speaking at a press conference on February 9, Bobozoda revealed that he had discussed this issue with Russia's Human Rights Ombudsman, Tatiana Moskalkova, in Minsk. "Ms. Moskalkova also mentioned that they are being mobilized as Russian citizens," he noted.
The Tajik ombudsman stressed that Tajikistan’s legislation prohibits its citizens from participating in armed conflicts abroad. "Despite our monitoring efforts, unfortunately, when a Tajik citizen is incarcerated in a Russian correctional facility, they are essentially under the jurisdiction of that state. In practice, we are seeing that such individuals are being sent to armed conflicts," Bobozoda said.
According to him, participation in the war by a Tajik citizen who does not have Russian citizenship is considered a criminal offense. In Tajikistan, participation in combat abroad is punishable under Article 401 of Tajikistan’s Penal Code – mercenary activities, which can result in up to 20 years in prison.
Earlier, in a news conference in August 2025, Tajikistan's Prosecutor-General, Habibullo Vohidzada, stated that no citizens of the country had been prosecuted "for participating in hostilities in Ukraine." "Some citizens have dual citizenship—Tajikistan and Russia. When a person acquires the citizenship of another state, they are obliged to comply with its laws and obligations. The decision to participate in combat is made by the state in relation to the person who has taken its citizenship. It depends on the individual's citizenship, personal decision, and obligations," explained Vohidzada.
Russian authorities have openly acknowledged recruiting citizens from other countries, including Tajikistan, to sign contracts with the military and participate in the war in Ukraine. According to the Russian Investigative Committee, as of June 2024, over 10,000 migrant workers who had obtained Russian citizenship were sent to fight in the conflict.
In 2025, media outlets reported the deaths of several Tajik citizens in the war in Ukraine. Experts note that Russia views migrants as a potential military resource and seeks to deploy them in combat.
However, the authorities have not addressed numerous reports of deception, threats, coercion, and the exploitation of migrants' vulnerable status to force them into signing military contracts.
In April 2025, the Ukrainian state project "I Want to Live," which collects data on the war, published the names of 931 individuals from Tajikistan, claiming they had signed contracts with the Russian army and were fighting against Ukraine. According to the project, 196 of them had been killed.
