NUR-SULTAN -- Kazakhstan's Committee of National Security (KNB) says it has launched a probe against a Kazakh citizen for allegedly illegally taking part in military operations in Ukraine.
The KNB did not identify the suspect in a statement dated June 2, nor did it say for which side the Kazakh man fought.
Since Russia launched its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine on February 24, only one Kazakh national, Zhasulan Duisembin, has openly admitted to joining Ukrainian armed forces and fighting against the Russian Army.
Duisembin told RFE/RL on June 3 that the probe announced by KNB is most likely against him as media in Russia have been extensively reporting about him in recent weeks.
"The [KNB] is scared to mention my name because they consider me a threat. More and more people [in Kazakhstan] are supporting me while I am opening their eyes, and therefore if they openly mention my name, it will be a shame for them," Duisembin said.
It was reported on social media in late May that Duisembin had been killed in eastern Ukraine. However, he later issued a video statement saying he had been wounded but received medical assistance and has since recovered.
A close ally of Russia, Kazakhstan has not openly condemned Moscow's aggression against Ukraine, though it has stated several times that it respects Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and does not recognize pro-Russian separatist-controlled districts in Ukraine's east that Russia recognized as independent states shortly before launching the war.
