According to court documents, Praliev decided to join the Wagner PMC in the fall of 2022. He came to Krasnodar, and from November 2022 to October 2024 he fought on the side of the aggressor country of the Russian Federation against Ukraine (he served as a signalman). In particular, Praliev took part in the assault on Bakhmut, Donetsk region, after which he received several medals.
In 2023, Praliev received a Russian passport, but did not renounce Kazakh citizenship.
In addition, Praliyev, as part of the Wagner PMC, spent some time in Mali, where he also participated in hostilities, ORDA reported.
After leaving the Russian PMC, he first received treatment in Minsk and then in Ufa. Then Praliev tried to leave for the USA.
He was detained in January 2025 after attempting to cross the US-Mexico border and was eventually deported to Kazakhstan.
At the trial, Praliev claimed that he was seriously ill and asked to be given a suspended sentence. His lawyers insisted that, as a citizen of the Russian Federation, he was not subject to jurisdiction in Kazakhstan, but the court in Almaty indicated that at the time of recruitment into the Wagner PMC, Praliev only had a Kazakh passport.
As a result, a court in Almaty found Praliev guilty of participating in foreign armed conflicts and sentenced him to five years in prison to serve the term in a medium-security colony.
This is the minimum possible period – Art. 172 of the Criminal Code of Kazakhstan, under which Praliev was tried, provides for five to nine years in prison, ORDA noted.
