On April 17, the Kyrgyz State Committee for National Security arrested four individuals in the city of Osh on charges of “recruiting people from Kyrgyzstan to fight in Ukraine.” They are: Natalia Sekerina, an employee of the Russian House funded by the Russian Federal Agency for International Humanitarian Cooperation (Rossotrudnichestvo); Sergei Lapushkin, a specialist in the media department of Osh municipality; and Russian citizen Viktor Vasiliev, an employee at the Mayluu-Suu Lamp Factory in the Jalal-Abad region.

Following this incident, several statements immediately appeared in the Russian press condemning the Kyrgyz regime. For example, Yevgeny Primakov, head of Rossotrudnichestvo, stated that Natalia Sekerina would be released, saying: “This is a provocation. We will release Natalia. We never abandon our loved ones, and the outcome will be effective and unpleasant.”

The detained employee at the Russian House, Natalia Sekerina, has been working there since July 2024. Another accused, Viktor Vasiliev, created several Telegram channels through which he disseminated Russian propaganda. In an interview conducted with him two weeks earlier, he said he had been residing in Africa for six months. Vasiliev led a campaign to strengthen Russia’s influence in African Burkina Faso following the death of Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin. His Telegram channels and online platforms have been actively operating in Kyrgyzstan. Marina Akhmedova, editor-in-chief of the Regnum news agency, stated on Telegram that Vasiliev had been their expert on African and Central Asian affairs.

After a meeting between the head of the Kyrgyz State Committee for National Security, Kamchybek Tashiev, and the Russian Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan, Sergei Vakunov, on April 25, Sekerina and another accused individual were placed under house arrest. This indicates that the Kyrgyz regime has taken a step toward kneeling before Russia.

The reasons for the deterioration of relations between Russia and Kyrgyzstan are as follows:

First, it should be noted that Russia's dominance in Central Asia, including Kyrgyzstan, continued even after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Russia has always suppressed public discontent in the country by replacing puppet rulers. For example, it replaced Bakiyev with Akayev in the 2005 coup. Then, when Bakiyev began establishing relations with America, it brought in Atambayev in 2010. Later, due to Atambayev’s defiance, it brought in Jeenbekov, who was completely subordinate to them. During this period, Russia maintained its usual strict pressure policy. However, after the uprising following the 2020 elections, Russia was forced to choose Japarov, who was in prison, as their figure. Due to the war in Ukraine that began in 2022, Russia had to soften its policies to keep Central Asia within its sphere of influence. As a result, Kyrgyzstan strengthened its cooperation with China and opened some doors to the West. This is evident in the signing of a strategic agreement with China, handing over all key national resources to Chinese companies, and the rapid growth in trade between the two countries. Furthermore, on December 27, 2024, the long-stalled China–Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan railway project, which had been obstructed by Russia for decades, was officially launched.

Additionally, on June 25, 2024, the Kyrgyz regime signed a strategic agreement with the European Union on enhanced partnership and cooperation. Under this agreement, several bilateral treaties were signed, allowing Europe to expand its influence in the country. Meanwhile, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced, on April 3, 2025, during the EU–Central Asia summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, an investment package worth 12 billion euros for Central Asia as part of the Global Gateway project. These investments mainly target the mining and transport of precious metals in the region. The Kyrgyz regime went even further: during Prime Minister Akylbek Japarov’s visit to Washington last April, negotiations were held on extracting rare earth elements. The Kambar-Ata 1 hydroelectric power station project was also discussed.

All of this has alarmed the Kremlin and pushed it to alter its policy toward the region, which it considers its own backyard. Especially after Trump took office, Russia's international standing strengthened, albeit temporarily, creating favorable conditions for it to focus on Central Asia. The first signs of this appeared in stricter laws against migrant workers in Russia. Subsequently, Russian security forces assaulted Kyrgyz migrant workers in a bathhouse, which sparked significant protests among the people. Concurrently, the Kyrgyz regime arrested several individuals suspected of attempting a coup. Then, Russian spies were arrested, and some were placed under house arrest.

As is evident from the above, the arrest of Russians and Kyrgyz citizens of Russian origin by the Kyrgyz regime should not be considered a rebellion against Russia but rather an attempt to preserve its own power. The charge of “recruiting people from Kyrgyzstan to fight in Ukraine” was fabricated to deliberately mislead the public. It had previously been reported that 360 Kyrgyz citizens participated in the war in Ukraine, with 38 of them killed. Yet, those events did not cause any friction between Russia and Kyrgyzstan. Therefore, it is likely that Russia will increase its pressure on Central Asian regimes from now on. To resist this pressure, the Kyrgyz regime will be forced to come under the wing of another colonizer. If it chooses to rely on America, Trump’s policy is well known, his commercial nature will not permit conflict with Russia over Kyrgyzstan’s limited resources, and he does not hesitate to sacrifice puppet regimes for material gain.

As for relying on Europe, its weakness was exposed in the Ukraine issue, where it showed it could not confront Russia without America’s support, nor protect its neighbors like Ukraine, let alone distant third-world countries like ours.

Regarding China, it always places economic interests first. It does not want to squander the opportunities it gained through its balancing policies. In particular, relying on China leads to the “Sinicization” of the entire population, as shown by the history of East Turkestan and the atrocities committed against our brothers and sisters there, which are no secret.

Therefore, O officials in Kyrgyzstan: Rely on Muslims and Islam, and place your trust in Allah. The anti-Islamic laws issued to please the disbelieving colonizers will never satisfy them. So, seek happiness in this world and the Hereafter by trusting in Allah alone. Allah the Exalted said: وَعَلَى اللهِ فَتَوَكَّلُوا إِن كُنتُمْ مُؤْمِنِينَ “And upon Allah rely, if you should be believers.” [Surat Al-Ma’idah:23].