A Chechen man stranded for months at Astana airport has been able to leave Kazakhstan

Zelimkhan Murtazov, a native of Chechnya who spent nearly four months in the transit zone of Astana airport, has left Kazakhstan and flown to Armenia. This was reported by the publication "Vot Tak," citing his brother, Turpal.

According to him, the flight took place on April 20, the first day direct flights between Astana and Yerevan were launched. In Armenia, Murtazov was detained by border guards for several hours, after which he was allowed to enter the country.

"I think it's clear how Zelimkhan is feeling after four months in transit. He says he's getting used to normal life, sitting in the sun, and jokingly saying he's taking vitamin D," Turpal said.

He also emphasized that Murtazov is grateful to everyone who helped him during his stay at the airport, but is not yet ready to publicly discuss his future plans. The source added that Chechens might not be safe in Armenia, citing the murder of Aishat Baimuradova, who had previously fled Chechnya.

Murtazov found himself in the transit zone of Astana Airport in late December 2025 after an unsuccessful attempt to fly to Turkey: Turkish border guards questioned the authenticity of his passport, confiscated it, and sent him back. He has been unable to leave the airport since then, as Kazakh authorities refused to consider his asylum application.

The only remaining travel destinations with a Russian passport were Kazakhstan and Belarus, from where he believed he could likely be extradited to Russia. His relatives' attempts to bring him to a safe country through other means were also unsuccessful due to the lack of a passport.

Previously, Armenian Parliament Speaker Alen Simonyan stated that the country would not deport Russians on politically motivated requests.

Murtazov signed a contract with the Russian army in August 2022, but, according to him, did so under pressure—security forces threatened to send his younger brother to war. In 2025, after his contract expired, he left the service during vacation and left Russia.

"I don't support what's happening in Russia. I didn't want to die for Russia, to give my life for the Russians who killed us in two wars, our mothers, our fathers," Zelimakhan Murtazov previously told the publication Vot Tak, referring to the two Russian-Chechen wars.

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