Kyrgyzstan arrests employee of Russian House cultural center for allegedly recruiting mercenaries to fight in Ukraine

A court in the Kyrgyzstani capital of Bishkek has ordered the arrest of Natalia Sekerina, an employee of the Russian state-sponsored Russian House cultural exchange center in Osh, the country’s second-largest city, according to Russian state media.

The arrest was requested by Kyrgyzstan’s State Committee for National Security (GKNB). Also detained in the case are Sergey Lapushkin, a press officer for the Osh mayor’s office, and two other individuals whose identities have not been disclosed. All four are being held as part of a criminal investigation on charges of mercenary activity, which carry a sentence of up to 15 years in prison.

According to the court, the suspects are believed to have recruited individuals to fight in Russia’s war against Ukraine.

The independent outlet Mediazona noted that in 2023, a man named Askar Kubanychbek uulu was sentenced to 10 years in prison in Kyrgyzstan for participating in Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. His sentence was later reduced, and he was released under the condition that he report to law enforcement twice a month. In the summer of 2024, Kubanychbek uulu fled to Russia and returned to the front.