The Fergana Region Court in Uzbekistan’s Kushtepa District sentenced Uzbek citizen A.Kh. to five years in prison for participating in combat operations on the Russian side. The verdict was announced on November 4, according to Adyrna national portal, citing UzNews.uz.
According to case materials, the defendant traveled to Russia for work in May 2023. Initially engaged in labor activities, in November he signed a one-year contract with the Russian Ministry of Defense “for material benefit” and joined the Armed Forces.
The Uzbek citizen reportedly underwent military training at a base near the Russia-Finland border, learning combat fundamentals and weapons handling. In January, he was transferred to a training ground in Belgorod for continued preparation. After completing training in February, he participated in combat but soon suffered serious injuries to his head, arm, and leg from a drone-dropped explosive.
The mercenary was treated in a military hospital in Moscow Region for nearly a month, then returned to Uzbekistan in June, where he became the subject of a criminal case. The report did not clarify whether he received any payment from the Russian Ministry of Defense.
During the court hearing, the defendant admitted his guilt and expressed remorse. Taking into account his cooperation with the investigation, he was given the minimum five-year sentence for mercenary activity (Article 154, Part 1 of the Criminal Code). He will serve his sentence in a general regime colony.
Similar cases have occurred previously. In July 2024, a court in Karakalpakstan (an autonomous republic within Uzbekistan) sentenced a local to three years’ restricted freedom for mercenary activity after he trained with the Russian army but escaped home before deployment to a combat zone. In October, another Uzbek citizen was sentenced to three years in prison for participating in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, stating he joined the Russian Armed Forces to obtain Russian citizenship.
