The government of Uzbekistan announced on Friday that it will not extradite to Russia Russian citizens who fled to its territory, due to the threat of recruitment into the Russian army. This, after thousands of Russian citizens entered Uzbekistan last week, in order to escape the obligation to enlist in the army and fight against the Ukrainians
Hundreds of thousands of Russian citizens have fled since the announcement of military conscription to neighboring countries, many of them in Uzbekistan. Their fear was that the Russian government would put heavy pressure on the neighboring countries to deport and hand over the fugitive Russian citizens, and the announcement published by the Uzbek Foreign Ministry left no room for doubt on this question: “Those who have not broken the law in Uzbekistan will not be deported.”
According to the reports, many citizens of Uzbekistan arrived at the border with Russia equipped with food and drink, in order to welcome the refugees from Russia with a warm and cordial welcome. It seems that all the countries in the region have a demonstrated sympathy for Ukraine and a complete aversion to the Russian action that poses a threat to the entire region.
The president of Uzbekistan Shebakt Mirzayev was until recently considered an ally of Putin, and according to various reports, Putin even helped him come to power in his country after the death of the previous ruler. The two countries are considered allies, and over the years Uzbekistan has been considered a protege of Russia in many ways. However, when it comes to the war in Ukraine, Mirzayev does not hesitate to make his voice clear against Putin’s move.
The Israeli commentator Alexander Ryman told the Hambasher newspaper that in his opinion Mirzayev is afraid of future attempts by Russia to take over territories in Uzbekistan as well, on the grounds that these territories historically belong to Russia, and therefore he is already setting a very clear and very firm line against any attempt to expand by Russia at the expense of the countries the neighbors