About 1,200 citizens of Kyrgyzstan have been convicted in Russia, with most cases linked to drug-related offenses.

Deputy Foreign Minister Almaz Imangaziyev said at a parliamentary committee on science, education, innovation, IT, and culture that the Kyrgyz Foreign Ministry is working closely with Russia’s General Prosecutor’s Office to repatriate citizens who have served sentences, The Caspian Post reports via Kyrgyz media.

Since 2022, the number of requests for transfers has steadily increased, showing that authorities promptly act when citizens submit applications.

Legislative updates in 2025 streamlined the extradition process, allowing roughly 300 Kyrgyz citizens to be transferred from Russia back home that year. For drug-related offenses, Kyrgyz diplomats collaborate with the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Russia and local diaspora communities to provide guidance and preventive outreach.

Consular officials also regularly meet with convicted citizens to explain legal procedures and their rights. Imangaziyev noted that while drug-related crimes remain high-some committed unknowingly, others deliberately-educational and preventive efforts, along with repatriation programs, continue to address the issue.