Kazakhstan’s National Security Committee is investigating a major criminal case involving fake temporary residence permits (TRP). The case could lead to the deportation of many Russians who came to the country because of the war, the Word for Defense project reported, citing human rights activists who help people who have left Russia.
According to human rights activists, “dozens of Russian males of military age” are witnesses in this case. Slova Defense’s interlocutors said that the investigation began at the end of February 2026, and that investigators, they said, “are interrogating 3-4 people at a time.”
To obtain a temporary residence permit, which allows you to stay in Kazakhstan for up to one year, you need official work and registration. Kazakhstan was for some time quiet about the market for “fake temporary residence permits,” but over time, its migration policy became stricter, “A Word to Defense” wrote.
“Taking into account that the issue of temporary residence permits is not dealt with by the Migration Police, but by the Department of the National Security Committee, we can talk about preparing mass deportations in accordance with the lists agreed upon with the Russian Federation,” says “Word of Protection.”
Human rights activists strongly recommend that all those involved in the criminal case related to false temporary residence permits leave Kazakhstan urgently, while this can be done independently and not be deported to Russia.
Kazakhstan is one of the countries where Russians actively traveled after the start of the major war with Ukraine and mobilization. There are tens of thousands of Russians in Kazakhstan who left because of the war. In 2026, human rights activists recorded a sharp increase in the number of deportations of Russians from Kazakhstan, including those who were persecuted in Russia for political reasons or accused of desertion.