The man, identified as A.Kh., had traveled to Russia in 2023 to work and earn money. He was later arrested and sentenced to 12 years in prison in a drug-related case in Vladivostok.
While serving his sentence, Russian Defense Ministry officials offered him Russian citizenship, release from prison and a large payment in exchange for joining the war against Ukraine, according to his testimony in court.
A.Kh. told the court that he had been wrongly convicted of drug trafficking. He said he was forced to confess after allegedly being tortured for two months.
According to his account, he was working as a taxi driver when a woman named Nadezhda became his passenger. They exchanged phone numbers and remained in contact.
On October 13, 2023, Nadezhda allegedly asked him to drive her to Vladivostok. During the trip, they stopped by the roadside to smoke. A.Kh. said two men in civilian clothes then approached them, knocked them to the ground and restrained them.
He claimed that the men took 15 grams of heroin from Nadezhda’s pocket, then put the drugs in his pocket as well and filmed the incident as if the heroin had been found on him.
The criminal case was heard from October 2023 to March 2025. The Vladivostok City Court ultimately sentenced him to 12 years in prison, according to his testimony.
A.Kh. was subsequently transferred to a correctional facility in Krasnoyarsk. While he was serving his sentence, officials from the Russian Defense Ministry allegedly offered him citizenship, release from prison and a large payment if he agreed to fight in the war against Ukraine.
On December 9, 2025, he agreed to join the Russian military and signed a one-year contract.
He told the court that he was transported with about 20 other people of different nationalities to a military airport before being flown to Rostov. From there, he and about 65 others were taken to a military training ground.
Three days later, they were transported into Ukraine and taken to a military unit surrounded by three-story buildings, according to his testimony.
A.Kh. said that on December 17, at about 9:30 p.m., they heard gunfire and were awakened by explosions after drones struck nearby buildings. A drone also hit the building where they were staying, causing him to lose consciousness.
