Tajikistan protests mistreatment of citizens in Russia while Ukraine waits faster military aid amid intensified attacks

In a rare dispute between post-Soviet allies, Tajikistan’s foreign ministry summoned Russia’s ambassador to protest what it described as unfair treatment of its citizens by Moscow. The ministry expressed concern over frequent cases where Tajik citizens were treated negatively in Russia and stated that almost 1,000 trying to enter the country had been stranded at Vnukovo airport since April 27 without proper sanitary conditions being provided for them. Around 306 have also reportedly been put on a list of people set to be deported from Russia while nearly three dozen others were already expelled, according to Tajikistan’s ministry in an unrelated statement issued separately over the weekend.
The dispute between Moscow and Dushanbe comes as Ukraine awaits military supplies promised by Washington following its latest $61 billion aid package approved last week. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that deliveries needed to be faster, with Russia taking advantage of Kyiv’s shortages in the meantime while trying to prevent casualties on the frontline by withdrawing forces from several settlements west of Avdiivka. Russian officials claimed their central group of forces had captured Semenovka (called ‘Semenivka’ in Ukraine) in Donetsk, one of three villages that Kyiv withdrew its troops from last weekend to prevent casualties during intense battles nearby. Moscow also announced the capture of Novobakhmutivka just north of Semenivka on Sunday. Meanwhile, North Korea reportedly criticized the U.S.’ provision of long-range missiles to Ukraine and warned that such supplies would not turn the tide in favor of Kyiv against Russia’s “heroic army.” The Kremlin has also deepened its political and military ties with Pyongyang, procuring weapons from North Korea while denying any arms transfers have taken place. In recent months, Britain’s Ministry of Defense noted that the number of Ukrainian civilian casualties attributed to Russia-directed aerial and artillery bombardments has risen significantly following intensified Russian strikes on Ukraine’s infrastructure since March 2024. The U.N.’s Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine reported last month that there had been 604 civilians killed or injured by such means during this time, which was double the number recorded for February and represented a 20% increase over the previous month’s figures.