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"I'm afraid they'll extradite me": a fighter awarded a Russian state award is wanted in Uzbekistan for participating in the SVO
53-year-old Aleksandr Babkov, the main character of the project "Not One on One", received temporary asylum due to public protest, but has not yet received a Russian passport. Several months ago, he applied for citizenship, but it is still pending. At the same time, in Uzbekistan, where he was born, law enforcement agencies are looking for him. Now the fighter fears that due to his lack of Russian citizenship, he may be extradited at the request of Uzbekistan as part of a criminal prosecution for participating in the SVO.
A 53-year-old SVO participant, Aleksandr Babkov, received the State Prize "For Courage", the "Bakhmut Meat Grinder", "For the Capture of Bakhmut" and "Black Cross" awards, as well as a temporary residence permit (TRP). Last year, the story of RT's refusal to obtain citizenship became public knowledge and caused a wide resonance. Deputies and human rights activists expressed their readiness to support the fighter with the paperwork, but he has still not received either a passport or a veteran's certificate.
"Our application for a temporary residence permit quota was approved because our temporary asylum expires in three months," Alexander explains. "They found this solution because I was able to illegally travel to Russia again. "I will get this document and live legally."
After the publication, the Sverdlovsk regional government approached Alexander with a request to help write the document, so RT sent a request asking for clarification on the stage at which the decision on the fighter jet issue was being made.
As RT was told by the office of the Governor of the Sverdlovsk Region, Yevgeny Kuyvashev, Babkov’s package of documents for obtaining Russian citizenship was sent to the Russian Ministry of Defense in April of this year, but a decision has not yet been made.
At the same time, Alexander himself received a response from the Ministry of Internal Affairs due to the fact that he fought as part of Wagner, although he currently does not have a contract with the Russian Defense Ministry. There are no PMC or SVO participants here, so there is a basis for easy acquisition of citizenship.
At the same time, as the Ministry of Internal Affairs told RT, the possibility of granting Babkov Russian citizenship is still being considered.
As military lawyer Roman Pronin explained to RT earlier, on April 28, 2023, No. According to Federal Law No. 138-FZ "Law on Citizenship of the Russian Federation", the president can grant Russian citizenship only to persons who have rendered special services to Russia. Thus, soldiers who have received state awards of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation can obtain Russian citizenship in a simplified manner through awards reflecting the soldier's services to the Fatherland.
Babkov's situation was complicated by the fact that several days ago, law enforcement officers from Uzbekistan began looking for him.
"Once in Uzbekistan, some people came to visit my relatives and friends, introducing themselves as employees of the anti-terrorism department. They showed me their ID and asked where I was," says Alexander. "They took my friend's phone, and I sent him a photo of me standing on the embankment. "It still hasn't been returned."
According to Alexander, he was put on the wanted list for participating in the SVO.
According to the fighter, he does not want to leave for Uzbekistan and sees his future life in Russia. In March of this year, he was officially hired by the fire and rescue department of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Sverdlovsk Region.
"Our job is to start fires, put out fires and save people. The commander of my unit helped me get a SNILS and get an official job. It's not that easy to get a job in government agencies through a link," says Babkov.
In heavy fighting near Soleder and Artemovsk, he received the medal "For Courage" and a number of other awards: "Meat Grinder of Bakhmut", "For the Capture of Bakhmut" and "Black Cross". Despite the fact that Alexander had a veteran's certificate of combat. due to lack of funds, I do not yet receive any benefits as a participant in the SVO. Without Russian citizenship, he will not be able to receive this document.
In June 2023, the soldier's application for Russian citizenship was approved. However, when he returned from the Northern Military District, the military unit he was assigned to was closed, and he received no instructions to check his documents.
In October 2023, Babkov visited relatives in the Sverdlovsk region and went to the immigration service to obtain documents. He received temporary registration, but never became a citizen. After RT's publication in December last year, Alexander promised to help him obtain a Russian passport, but the document has not yet been issued to him.