From Hero to Extremist: One Kazakh Given Highest Award Another Recognized As a Terrorist in Russia

This happened 16 days apart, both have fought in the war between Russia and Ukraine, reports Orda.kz .

Arslan Sultanov, an ethnic Kazakh from the Saratov region, received the title of Hero of Russia on December 30. He was born in Novouzensk in 1999. Sultanov was drafted into the army in 2018. He later signed a contract and served in the 56th separate airborne assault brigade in Crimean Feodosia. He has fought in the war since February 24, 2022.

In August 2023, Sultanov, in one of the battles, with his heroic actions, ensured the fulfillment of the task assigned to him, while receiving a serious wound, the Heroes of the Country website says.

Saratov24 reports that Sultanov is still in the Moscow Regional War Veterans Hospital.

16 days later, a different Kazakh was included in Russia’s list of terrorists and extremists compiled by Rosfinmonitoring: a citizen of the Republic of Kazakhstan, a native of Arkalyk, Zhasulan Dyusembin. He is fighting for Ukraine.

In an interview with the Ukrainian channel TSN, he said he has lived in Ukraine for several years. In 2021, he signed a contract with the Armed Forces of Ukraine. At the end of the year, he was sent to the conflict zone in Donbas. Just like Sultanov, Dusembin has been taking part in a full-scale war since its onset. In the spring of 2022, during the fighting in the city of Volnovakha, he was wounded but later returned to the front.

In Kazakhstan, Dyusembin faces criminal charges for participating in the armed conflict. In the same interview with TSN, he said that he would like to obtain Ukrainian citizenship to avoid legal problems.

Kazakhstan has already convicted those who have fought for Russia in Ukraine as part of Wagner and the LPR militia.

Original Author: Igor Ulitin

DISCLAIMER: This is a translated piece. The text has been modified, the content is the same. Please refer to the original article in Russian for accuracy.