The Ukrainian Embassy in Tashkent issued an appeal to citizens of Uzbekistan, urging them not to participate in Russia's war against Ukraine and not to visit temporarily occupied territories in Ukraine.
The embassy mentioned that Russia, due to significant personnel losses during the military operations in temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories, is attempting to involve foreign citizens in the war against Ukraine.
According to information from the Ukrainian Armed Forces' General Staff, there have been identified instances of citizens of Uzbekistan being present in units of the Russian occupying forces located in the temporarily occupied city Horlivka of Donetsk region. The Uzbek citizens reportedly crossed the Ukrainian border illegally and arrived in Ukraine for construction work. After arriving in Mariupol, their passports were confiscated, and they were mobilized as volunteers.
The embassy emphasized to citizens of Uzbekistan the inadmissibility of participating in Russia's war against Ukraine. Foreign citizens engaging in armed aggression against Ukraine will be prosecuted and held accountable according to Ukrainian national legislation and international law.
The embassy also underscored the prohibition of illegally crossing the state border of Ukraine to engage in any activities in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. Foreign citizens who unlawfully arrive in these territories, including for construction or other work, will be considered "collaborators of the occupiers and will face legal consequences" according to Ukrainian law.
In connection with the information released by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine regarding the forced mobilization of citizens from the Republic of Uzbekistan as volunteers in the ranks of Russian forces, the Embassy of the Republic of Uzbekistan in Ukraine has sent a corresponding request to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.
The diplomatic mission is closely monitoring this matter, and if the aforementioned information from Ukraine is confirmed, all necessary measures will be taken to protect the interests of our citizens - stated the Uzbekistan Embassy in Ukraine.
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