The diplomatic missions of Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan in Russia warned their citizens residing in Russia against participating in the war in Ukraine on Wednesday.
The three Central Asian countries' embassies in Moscow released separate statements, banning their citizens in Russia from participating in the war in Ukraine in light of the recent partial mobilization declared by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan also warned their citizens of legal repercussions in case of involvement in the war, reminding citizens that taking part in armed conflicts on foreign territories is unlawful.
Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan are members of the Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), while Uzbekistan withdrew from the military bloc in 2012.
Uzbekistan warns citizens against joining foreign armies
Uzbekistan's state prosecutors warned citizens against joining foreign armies after Russia offered fast-track citizenship to those who sign up.
Those fighting in military conflicts abroad faced criminal prosecution under Uzbek law, the Central Asian nation's Prosecutor General's office said in a statement late on Wednesday.
A video circulated in Ukrainian social media this month showed two Uzbeks captured in fighting between Ukrainian and Russian forces; the detainees said they had been recruited in Moscow.
Hundreds of thousands of Uzbeks live in or regularly travel to Russia to find work and provide for their families at home; some work illegally and risk being deported.
Russia's parliament passed a law this week offering fast-track citizenship to foreigners who join its army, part of a broader drive to strengthen the military amid the stalled Ukrainian campaign which also included partial mobilization.
With a predominantly young population of 35 million, Uzbekistan is the most populous ex-Soviet nation after Russia and Ukraine, and many Uzbeks are fluent in Russian.
Putin announces partial military mobilization
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a partial military mobilization in Russia during a pre-recorded speech on Wednesday. The mobilization will begin immediately.
Only reservists will be called up, with a focus on those with experience, said Putin. The president added that militants in the Luhansk and Donbas Peoples Republics will be considered as soldiers of the Russian Federation going forward.
Putin referred to the Ukrainian government as a "neo-Nazi" regime and claimed that Western countries had "crossed every line" and tried to "blackmail" Russia with nuclear weapons.
"We are talking not only about the shelling of the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant, which is encouraged by the West, which threatens a nuclear catastrophe, but also about the statements of some high-ranking representatives of the leading NATO states about the possibility and admissibility of using weapons of mass destruction against Russia - nuclear weapons," said Putin.
"To those who allow themselves to make such statements about Russia, I would like to remind you that our country also has various means of destruction, and for some components more modern than those of the NATO countries. And if the territorial integrity of our country is threatened, we will certainly use all the means at our disposal to protect Russia and our people. It's not a bluff."
"I would like to remind you that our country also has various means of destruction, and for some components more modern than those of the NATO countries. And if the territorial integrity of our country is threatened, we will certainly use all the means at our disposal to protect Russia and our people. It's not a bluff."
Russian President Vladimir Putin
"Those who are trying to blackmail us with nuclear weapons should know that the wind can turn in their direction," warned the Russian president, adding that Russia will use "all available means."
Putin claimed that the West is trying to "weaken and destroy Russia," adding that "When the territorial integrity of our country is threatened, we will certainly use all the means at our disposal to protect Russia and our people. This is not a bluff."
Amid reports that Russian opposition activists were planning protests against the mobilization for Wednesday night, the Moscow prosecutor's office warned Russians against conducting "uncoordinated actions" and "illegal activities."
"The Moscow Prosecutor's Office warns that the distribution of such materials through social networks, forums, other Internet platforms, the involvement of Internet users, including minors, in illegal activities, as well as participation in illegal actions are punishable under the current administrative and criminal legislation," said the office, according to RIA Novosti.
Tzvi Joffre and Reuters contributed to this report.