Astana has responded to a video circulating on social media in which three young men, claiming to be military enlistment officers, demanded personal information from passersby and asked them to follow them. According to Murat Isenbayev, deputy head of the Astana Department of Defense Affairs for educational and ideological work, the individuals shown in the video are not military enlistment officers, reports infohub.kz.
The video address was published on the department's Instagram page. According to Murat Isenbayev, the department has reviewed the video and sent a letter to the territorial police body of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan to identify the individuals depicted and hold them accountable under the legislation of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
"The individuals shown in this video are not military enlistment officers. In this regard, the department has sent a letter to the territorial police body of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan to establish their identities and hold them accountable under the legislation of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Currently, no raid activities are being conducted in Astana," said the deputy head of the department.
He also explained that conscription and staffing of military units are carried out through notifications via SMS from the number 1414, as well as summonses at the place of residence and place of work. In addition, Murat Isenbayev added that the identification of citizens evading military service is the responsibility of the police.
Earlier, a man reported an unusual incident that occurred with him and his pregnant wife in Astana around 9:00 PM. On the street, they encountered unknown individuals who introduced themselves as military enlistment officers and asked them to follow them. When the woman started filming them on her phone, they fled. Police said they had identified the men but did not specify whether they were military enlistment officers.