North Macedonia arrests man suspected of intending to join Russian army and fight in Ukraine

SKOPJE, North Macedonia (AP) — Police in North Macedonia have arrested a Macedonian national suspected of intending to join the Russian army and fight in Ukraine, according to the country's Interior Ministry.

It is the first case of a Macedonian national facing the specific charge.

The man, identified only by his initials as J.K., was arrested late on Friday and the investigative judge has ordered him placed under house arrest for 30 days. The man was charged with “participating in a foreign army, police, paramilitary or parapolice formation.” If convicted, he faces a minimum 3-year sentence.

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The ministry said the suspect had been in online contact with a person who had introduced himself as tasked by the Russian army to recruit soldiers for a compensation of 3,000 euros. Willing to join a newly formed detachment, the suspect flew to Moscow in October.

When he returned to North Macedonia a week later the suspect was interrogated upon arrival at Skopje airport. Police said he told interrogators that he was to “sign a contract for work in the Russian army and be taken to a training camp where he would be trained to fight in Ukraine.”

Police said they raided the suspect’s home late on Friday and seized documentation.

As a NATO member since 2020, North Macedonia has imposed sanctions on the Russian Federation. The previous leftist government donated military equipment to Ukraine.