Russian Z-blogger Viktor Vasilyev, who was previously accused of recruiting mercenaries to fight in the war in Ukraine, has been released in Kyrgyzstan. Ekho reported, citing the Telegram channel Mash, which is close to Russian security forces.
According to the outlet, Vasilyev was released on June 12. Prior to this, he spent a year and two months in pretrial detention. Ekho notes that the blogger had previously been convicted, but his sentence was not publicly announced.
After his release, Vasilyev intends to challenge his deportation from Kyrgyzstan. According to the report, he wants to remain in the country and continue his studies at the Kyrgyz-Russian Slavic University, where he is writing his dissertation.
In light of this information, Kyrgyz activists are demanding his deportation from the country. They consider it unacceptable for a person implicated in a case involving the recruitment of mercenaries to participate in the war to remain in Kyrgyzstan.
Vasilyev was detained in April 2025. His name appeared in a case involving the recruitment of mercenaries to participate in armed conflicts abroad. Four people were defendants in this case, including an employee of the Russian House in Osh and an employee of the Osh municipality's press service.
According to Russian and international media, Viktor Vasilyev was previously known by the surname Lukovenko. Investigative projects The Insider, the Dossier Center, and Sistema reported that he had neo-Nazi views and was convicted in Russia for the murder of a black man. After his release, according to these projects, he collaborated with entities linked to Yevgeny Prigozhin and also worked on information projects related to Africa.
Ekho also reports that Vasilyev is an Africanist and the author of the Telegram channel «Smile and Wave.»
He has been described as a former political strategist for Yevgeny Prigozhin, founder of the Wagner PMC.
Furthermore, Kyrgyz activists claimed that Vasilyev may have owned the Telegram channel Salam Kyrgyzstan, which they described as a pro-Russian propaganda resource.
The news of Vasilyev’s release raised questions, as the participation of Kyrgyz citizens in foreign armed conflicts and the recruitment of mercenaries are criminal offenses in Kyrgyzstan. However, Kyrgyz officials have not yet publicly announced when and under what conditions Vasilyev was released, whether the sentence has entered into force, or whether the decision to deport him from the country is still in effect.
