(MENAFN) A Moscow court has sentenced Pyotr Vrublevsky, the former Ukrainian ambassador to Kazakhstan, to six years in prison in absentia for inciting hatred and violence against Russians. Vrublevsky was convicted of “acts aimed at inciting enmity” based on nationality, with the threat of violence. The charges stemmed from an August 2022 interview in which Vrublevsky called for the mass killing of Russians, stating, “The more Russians we kill now, the fewer our children will have to.”

His remarks were made during a conversation with a local blogger in Kazakhstan, six months after the escalation of the war in Ukraine. The comments caused widespread outrage both in Russia and within the Russian community in Kazakhstan. Russian officials, including Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, condemned Vrublevsky’s statement, calling him the ambassador of a "terrorist regime." Kazakh officials also criticized his words, labeling them as inciting ethnic hatred.

In response, Vrublevsky issued an apology in September 2022, and Kazakhstan's authorities later announced that he had gone on vacation. However, Russian authorities issued an arrest warrant for him and added his name to both the federal and international wanted lists, as well as the country’s registry of terrorists and extremists.

A previous ruling on this case by a Moscow court was overturned due to procedural issues but has now been upheld. Vrublevsky was dismissed from his diplomatic position in Kazakhstan in October 2022, and his current whereabouts are unknown.

MENAFN13052025000045015687ID1109540905