ASTANA (Reuters) – Kazakhstan has not yet made a final decision about whether to extradite a detained Russian cybersecurity expert to either Moscow or Washington, according to a statement by the Central Asian nation on Tuesday. This statement contradicts earlier claims by Russia that the extradition had already been agreed upon.
The detainee, Nikita Kislitsin, is an employee of Russian cybersecurity firm F.A.C.C.T. He was apprehended by Kazakh authorities on June 22 while visiting the country. In response, Russia swiftly filed an extradition request of their own, competing with the one submitted by Washington.
The handling of this case has the potential to further strain the relationship between allies Astana and Moscow, which has already become tense due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Furthermore, Kazakhstan’s refusal to support what Moscow labels as a “special military operation” in Ukraine has added to the growing tension.
A Russian consulate in Kazakhstan, as reported by Kommersant daily, claimed on Tuesday that Astana had decided to extradite Kislitsin to Russia. However, Duisembai Darkhan, a spokesperson for the Kazakh Prosecutor General’s office, refuted this claim in a statement given to Reuters. He clarified that no decision on extradition had been made and explained that a local court had merely ordered Kislitsin’s arrest in anticipation of the extradition process.
Darkhan stated that prosecutors would carefully examine the details of the case before determining whether Kislitsin should be extradited to Moscow or Washington.
Reporting by Tamara Vaal; Writing by Olzhas Auyezov; Editing by Conor Humphries
Credit: The Star : News Feed
