A FOREIGN WAR: WHY CITIZENS OF TURKMENISTAN ARE ENDING UP ON THE FRONT LINE IN UKRAINE

A FOREIGN WAR: WHY CITIZENS OF TURKMENISTAN ARE ENDING UP ON THE FRONT LINE IN UKRAINE Another citizen of Turkmenistan has been taken prisoner in Ukraine. His interview was published by the “I Want to Live” (Хочу жить) project. The man, born in 1980, was an excellent student. He graduated from a Turkmen-Turkish high school in Turkmenistan and later continued his education in Ankara in a field related to agriculture. He completed compulsory military service in Turkmenistan and speaks Turkmen, Russian, Turkish, and English. How did an educated man with professional qualifications and a family end up participating in Russia’s war against Ukraine? The answer to this question goes far beyond the story of one individual. From Labor Migration to War According to the man’s account, he went to the Russian Federation in search of work. While there, he lost his passport and contacted the Embassy of Turkmenistan in Moscow. However, according to his testimony, he was not issued a new passport. He did not want to return to Turkmenistan because he feared that, once back, he could be subjected to an exit ban and might no longer be able to leave the country. What followed was a tragic decision. The man signed a contract with the Russian side. He received part of the money and sent it to his family to help build a house. After approximately two weeks of training, he was sent to the combat zone, where he dug dugouts before eventually being deployed to the front line. He ultimately surrendered and was taken prisoner. None of this removes an adult’s personal responsibility for his own decisions. But if we genuinely want to understand why citizens of Turkmenistan are ending up in a foreign war, we cannot examine only the final step in this chain. Before the military contract came labor migration, financial hardship, the loss of a passport, the inability to obtain a replacement document, and fear of returning home. A Resource-Rich Country — So Why Are Its Citizens Leaving? Turkmenistan possesses some of the world’s largest proven natural gas reserves, as well as oil resources and major industrial facilities. A new city, Arkadag, has been built. Expensive infrastructure and prestige projects continue to be developed. State media have portrayed an image of prosperity for years. Against this backdrop, a simple question must be asked: Why are citizens of a country so rich in natural resources compelled to seek work abroad on such a massive scale? Why do people leave their parents, spouses, and children behind and travel thousands of kilometers simply to earn enough to support their families? Behind the official image are low incomes for a significant part of the population, insufficient economic opportunities, mass labor migration, separated families, and a serious population outflow. Today, the consequences of this situation can already be seen on the battlefield. The “I Want to Live” project has previously published information about citizens of Turkmenistan who ended up serving in Russian armed formations. Among the known cases are prisoners of war, people who have been killed or wounded, and those reported missing. There may also be individuals whose fate remains entirely unknown to the public. Against the backdrop of demographic problems and continued population outflow, this can no longer simply be described as unfortunate. It is a tragedy. A Passport Must Not Become a Trap The Human Rights Platform of the Civil Movement “Dayanch” / Turkmenistan has repeatedly raised the issue of Turkmen citizens abroad being denied the issuance or renewal of passports, as well as restrictions on citizens’ right to leave the country. We have repeatedly warned about the consequences of such policies. This man’s story demonstrates just how dangerous such legal and migration vulnerability can become. When a citizen is stranded abroad without a valid document while simultaneously fearing that returning home may result in an exit ban, the range of safe choices available to that person becomes drastically limited. And a person in such a vulnerable position can be particularly susceptible to promises of large payments in exchange for signing a military contract. A passport should protect a citizen’s legal status and connection to their country — it should not become a source of vulnerability and entrapment. Ukraine Is an Independent State. What If Turkmenistan Were Attacked? There is another fundamental issue that cannot be ignored. Ukraine is an independent and sovereign state with internationally recognized borders. On February 24, 2022, the Russian Federation launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The United Nations General Assembly has repeatedly reaffirmed Ukraine’s sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity and condemned Russia’s aggression. Now imagine the situation reversed. What if, tomorrow, the army of another state crossed the border of Turkmenistan? What if foreign soldiers entered our cities? What if another country declared part of Turkmenistan’s territory to be its own? What if foreign citizens were offered money and military contracts to come and fight against us? How would we feel? We would rightly demand respect for the sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of Turkmenistan. But territorial integrity cannot be a selective principle. If we demand respect for Turkmenistan’s borders, we must also respect Ukraine’s borders. This is especially relevant because Turkmenistan declares permanent neutrality to be a fundamental principle of its state policy. Ukraine did not attack Turkmenistan. Ukraine did not seize our territory. The Ukrainian people are not enemies of the Turkmen people. This is not our war. We Have Raised This Issue Before. Today, We Raise It Again. The Human Rights Platform of the Civil Movement “Dayanch” / Turkmenistan has repeatedly appealed to the authorities of Turkmenistan regarding the participation of the country’s citizens in this war. We have called on the state to publicly warn citizens about the consequences. We have raised the problems of passports and exit restrictions. We have called for the protection of Turkmen citizens abroad. We have stressed the need to respond to reports that citizens of Turkmenistan are being drawn into Russia’s war against Ukraine. Today, we are compelled to appeal once again. How many more citizens of Turkmenistan must die? How many must be wounded? How many must disappear? How many more must become prisoners of war before the authorities publicly acknowledge that this problem exists? We once again call on the authorities of Turkmenistan to ensure that citizens abroad can obtain the necessary documents in a timely manner and to end arbitrary restrictions on freedom of movement. We once again call on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan to formally raise with the Russian Federation the issue of preventing the recruitment and involvement of Turkmen citizens in the war against Ukraine. The state must protect its citizens before they end up in a trench, not after news arrives that they have been killed, wounded, gone missing, or taken prisoner. An Appeal to Citizens of Turkmenistan We appeal directly to our citizens currently in Russia: Do not go to this war for money. No matter how difficult your financial situation may be, no payment is worth a human life. Do not allow your poverty, problems with documents, migration vulnerability, or desire to provide for your family to be exploited in order to turn you into a resource for someone else’s war. No military contract can bring a dead son back to his mother. No amount of money can bring a father back to his children. And no payment can justify taking up arms in a country whose people have done nothing to you. For many years, we have been told: “The sky above Turkmenistan is peaceful.” May it remain so. But if we want peace for ourselves, we must recognize the right of other peoples to live in peace as well. If we demand respect for Turkmenistan’s borders, we must respect Ukraine’s borders. If we do not want foreign soldiers on our land, our citizens must not become foreign soldiers on Ukrainian soil. Human Rights Platform of the Civil Movement “DAYANCH” / Turkmenistan Interview with the citizen of Turkmenistan — “I Want to Live” project: https://youtu.be/579ZMvw_XzQ?is=JG3x6bZd2V9cE7nq