36-year-old Alexander Chabyev was found in Atyrau after illegally crossing the border of Kazakhstan. The court sentenced him to one year's imprisonment, released him from punishment under an amnesty and ordered him to be expelled from the country for five years.
HOW CHABYEV ENDED UP IN KAZAKHSTAN
According to the Telegram channel "HALYQSTAN", Alexander Chabyev left his military unit in Donetsk in May 2025. He hitched to Volgograd, after which he crossed the Kazakh border on foot outside the checkpoint in the Zhanibek area of the West Kazakhstan Region.
The next known point on his route was Atyrau. On 17 June 2026, officers from the department for combating extremism found Chabyev in the city.
A check of the "Berkut" database showed that he had not officially entered Kazakhstan.
WHAT IS KNOWN ABOUT THE SERVICEMAN'S CAREER
Chabyev served in military unit No. 35390 — the 39th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade, which is part of the 68th Army Corps of the Eastern Military District. The brigade's permanent base is located in the Sakhalin Region.
The project "DON'T WAIT for good news", which gathers information about Russian servicemen, published a list of soldiers from this brigade who had abandoned their posts. According to the project, these lists included 917 servicemen, including Alexander Chabyev. It is noted that in 2024 there were 217 people on the lists, and in 2025 — 617.
WHAT CHABYEV SAID IN COURT
When the case of illegal border crossing reached Court No. 2 of Atyrau city, it became known that the Russian military investigation had placed Chabyev on the international wanted list for unauthorised abandonment of his place of service.
Chabyev himself admitted to the fact of illegal border crossing. He stated that he did not want to continue his service and feared for his life. According to him, he is being persecuted in Russia for avoiding participation in military operations.
The Russian asked the court to apply an amnesty to him and, if possible, not to expel him from Kazakhstan.
WHAT DECISION THE COURT MADE
Court No. 2 of Atyrau city sentenced Alexander Chabyev to one year's imprisonment, but released him from punishment under amnesty.
At the same time, the court ordered the Russian to be expelled from Kazakhstan for a period of five years. Enforcement of this part of the sentence was entrusted to the Border Service of the National Security Committee and the police.
WHAT STATUS DONETSK HAS
The publication refers to Donetsk, located on the territory of Ukraine and currently under the de facto control of the Russian Federation. The United Nations (UN) confirms the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognised borders. The UN has also stated that Russian decisions regarding the status of the Donetsk region and other regions of Ukraine have no legal force under international law.
