North Macedonia has arrested a man suspected of wanting to join Russian forces to fight in Ukraine
SKOPJE, North Macedonia (AP) – Police in North Macedonia have arrested a Macedonian national suspected of planning to join Russian forces to fight in Ukraine, according to the country’s Interior Ministry.
It is the first case of the Macedonian nation facing this case.
The suspect, identified by his initials as JK, was arrested on Friday and the investigating judge has ordered that he be detained for 30 days. The man was charged with “participating in a foreign army, police, military or police force.” If convicted, he faces up to three years in prison.
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The Ministry said that the suspect was connected on the Internet with a person who introduced himself as a Russian military officer to recruit soldiers in order to receive a compensation of 3,000 euros. Determined to join the newly formed group, the suspect flew to Moscow in October.
When he returned to North Macedonia a week later, the suspect was interrogated when he arrived at Skopje airport. Police said he told interrogators that he was “going to sign a contract to work in the Russian army and be taken to a training camp where he would be trained to fight in Ukraine.”
The police said they raided the suspect’s home on Friday night and seized documents.
As a member of NATO since 2020, North Macedonia has imposed sanctions on the Russian Federation. The previous leftist government donated military equipment to Ukraine.
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