In the Kashkadarya region, a 40-year-old citizen was sentenced to 4 years of restricted freedom for mercenarism, UzNews reports, citing the court’s verdict.
The defendant received Russian citizenship in 2015 after marrying a Russian citizen. Due to dual citizenship, since 2023, he has repeatedly applied to the migration authorities of the Russian Federation to obtain a foreign passport for traveling abroad.
In March 2025, migration service officers explained to him that obtaining a foreign passport requires military registration. Despite his poor health and unwillingness to participate in the fighting, he was forcibly sent to a military unit located in the Primorsky Territory.
Realizing that he was planning to be sent to participate in combat operations in Ukraine, he informed the unit commander about the presence of a hernia. He was sent to a military hospital where they operated. After that, he left the hospital on his own accord, did not return to the military unit, and returned to Uzbekistan on July 9.
The man voluntarily applied to the State Security Service with a statement of remorse, in which he reported the crime he had committed, as well as documents confirming his participation in the hostilities between Russia and Ukraine. He was found guilty under Article 154, Part 1 (Mercenarism) of the Criminal Code and sentenced to 4 years of restricted freedom.
Recall that in Samarkand, a man was sentenced to three years in prison for participating in the war in Ukraine. The Uzbek citizen participated in the fighting for about a year, then, after being wounded, appealed to the embassy and, upon returning to his homeland, pleaded with law enforcement.
