Man Back From Russia's Army Suspected of Murder in Tajikistan

A man who recently returned to Tajikistan after taking part in Russia's war against Ukraine is suspected of killing two money changers in the northern town of Isfara on October 10, Radio Ozodi, the Tajik service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, reported on October 12. Eyewitnesses and people familiar with the case told Ozodi that the suspect lured Oibek Otabekov and Firdavsjon Savriddinov to his home with an offer to exchange a large sum of money, shot one and strangled the other, and buried both in his yard. They said he was after $60,000. One eyewitness told Ozodi the man has been detained. His name has not been published.

What Russia Has Already Seen

Russia has been dealing with this for years. In February 2025 Vyorstka counted at least 378 people killed and 376 seriously injured by participants in the war who came back to Russia in the first three years of the invasion.

One of them, Ivan Rossomakhin, a former Wagner fighter, was sentenced to 22 years, later raised to 23, for raping and murdering an 85-year-old woman in Kirov region in March 2023. In August 2024 he had left prison to go back to the war. In another case, a former Wagner mercenary in Krasnoyarsk region was sentenced to 19 years for setting fire to the house of his former partner and her mother in October 2023. Both women died.

Thousands More Are Coming Home

Ukraine's "I Want to Live" project says that as of October 1, Russia had recruited 20,437 citizens of five Central Asian countries, including 5,308 from Tajikistan. Azattyq Asia reports that Tajikistan appears not to have opened a single case against citizens who fought for Russia, unlike Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. Erika Marat, a professor at the US National Defense University, told Azattyq Asia that similar patterns of violence are likely to appear among Central Asian servicemen who return home.

Isfara is one case, and the suspect has not been tried. Marat expects more like it.

A Safe Way Out

Central Asians and other foreign nationals lured into Russia's armed forces have an option to safely escape the battlefield with Ukraine's "I Want to Live" project. See our FAQ for recommendations for victims of Russian military recruitment and their families.