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Extradition of foreigners serving in Russian army may be banned

12 January 2026 14:28 (UTC +04:00)

The extradition of foreign nationals serving in the Russian army may be banned, APA’s Moscow bureau reports.

The State Duma has supported a ban on the extradition of foreigners serving in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.

The Duma’s Committee on State Building and Legislation has recommended that the lower house of parliament adopt, in the first reading, a draft law prohibiting the extradition of foreign nationals serving in the Russian Armed Forces to other countries for the purpose of criminal prosecution.

The draft law was submitted to the State Duma by the Russian government, proposing amendments to Article 464 (“Refusal to extradite a person”) of the Criminal Procedure Code of the Russian Federation.

The initiative provides for refusing extradition to a foreign state for the purpose of criminal prosecution or enforcement of a sentence in cases where such requests concern a foreign national or a stateless person who is serving under contract in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation or other military formations, or who is participating in combat operations as part of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.

Note that under the legislation of a number of countries, including Azerbaijan, participation of citizens in the armed formations of foreign states is considered a grave crime. According to the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan, acting for the purpose of receiving material reward, not being a citizen of a state participating in a military conflict or military operations, not permanently residing in its territory, not being sent to perform official duties, as well as participating in the activities of armed formations or groups not provided for by the legislation of the Republic of Azerbaijan, is considered a crime and is punishable by imprisonment for a certain period (from 8 to 20 years) or life imprisonment.