Tajikistan denies accusations that 'Ukrainian embassy recruits soldiers'

Tajikistan's Foreign Ministry has criticized a Russian official after he accused Ukraine of recruiting mercenaries through its embassy in Dushanbe.

"We believe that the Russian official's statements are baseless. The Tajik government always takes necessary measures to ensure that diplomatic missions present in our country operate in accordance with their functions and tasks," Tajik Foreign Minister Shokhin Samadi said on April 6.

Tajikistan's Foreign Ministry also asked Russian officials to refrain from making statements containing unverified information.

According to Russia's RIA Novosti news agency, the statement from Foreign Minister Samadi was aimed at Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev.

At the annual ministerial meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Kazakhstan on April 3, Mr. Patrushev accused the Ukrainian embassy in the Tajikistani capital Dushanbe of recruiting mercenaries for anti-Russian activities. However, he did not provide evidence for his statement.

Secretary of the Russian Security Council Nikolai Patrushev in Tehran, Iran in 2022. Photo: AFP

The Islamic State (IS) group's branch in Afghanistan has claimed responsibility and released images and video of the theater attack filmed from the gunmen's perspective.

President Vladimir Putin last month admitted the attack was carried out by radical Islamists, but Russian officials have questioned Ukraine's involvement.

Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) has arrested four Tajik nationals suspected of carrying out the Crocus Theatre attack. Moscow said special forces intercepted the four suspects as they were heading towards the Ukrainian border shortly after the attack.

However, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said in late March that the group of gunmen initially planned to cross the border into his country, but when they saw their way blocked, they changed direction to Ukraine.

Thanh Danh (According to RIA Novosti, Reuters, BNI )

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