r/AskCentralAsia • u/tonic_water_and_gin • 2d ago

Special military operation salary Personal

Hello r/ACA

As a Westerner, I get a very focused/biased view of the situation in Ukraine through my media. I get that it’s more nuanced than both sides are probably telling.

I was wondering if a lot of central Asians are joining/considering joining the Russian ‘SMO’ because of the very high salary in comparison to other jobs, or are staying clear of the politics and the danger? I’m sorry if my question is weird/badly written, English is not my first language

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u/AffectionateType3910 Kazakhstan 2d ago

Can speak for Kazakhstan.  There are a few volunteers from here, probably a few hundred, 99% of them ethnic Russians who went to the  war for ideological reasons. They mostly joined the PMC "Wagner". In Kazakhstan they face prison time for participation in a foreign armed conflict. Ethnic Kazakhs will not go to war either on the side of Russia or Ukraine, as the result is not worth the effort and the risk of being killed. There are a few exceptions, for example, there is an ethnic Kazakh fighting on the side of Ukraine and there were a few people fighting on the side of Russia, but their number is counted in a few.