BRYANSK, March 22 (RIA Novosti) – A geologist in Russia wanted for arrest by authorities in Uzbekistan is seeking political asylum in the western Russian city of Bryansk, a migration official said on Friday.
The officials said Uzbekistan has issued an international arrest warrant for Leonid Loshchakov on suspicion of forgery and embezzlement.
The deputy head of the Federal Migration Service’s Bryansk Region department, Tatyana Myslentsova, said Loshchakov is being held at a pre-trial detention facility.
Loshchakov headed staff training at the Navoiysky Mining and Metallurgical Plant in Uzbekistan. He also oversaw a program financed by the plant to send Uzbek students for training in Russia.
In August, Loshchakov was summoned by military prosecutors in Uzbekistan and told that his activities posed a threat to national interests.
He only learned he had been placed on an international wanted list after attempting to register with migration authorities in his home city, Bryansk.
Myslentsova said the deadline for a decision on Loshchakov’s request for political asylum request is May 5.
“We are prepared to help, but we don’t have all the materials,” Myslentsova said. “We need to clarify what the situation is in Uzbekistan and what the consequences are if he returns.”
