Uzbek Citizen Convicted of Mercenary Activities in Russian Army

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — The Pap District Criminal Court has sentenced a 55-year-old Uzbek citizen found guilty of mercenary activity.

According to the case materials, in August 2022 the man traveled to Russia for employment purposes. Facing financial difficulties, he voluntarily signed a one-year contract with the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation.

On June 5, 2023, he was assigned to a military unit, serving as a rifleman with the rank of private and receiving a monthly salary of 210,000 rubles. During his service, he participated in combat operations in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region. On August 5, 2023, he was injured in an explosion and treated at a military hospital in Belgorod Oblast. After recovery, he returned to service and, upon completion of his contract in June 2024, was sent to a rehabilitation center of the Russian Ministry of Defense.

The case materials indicate that in February 2025 he was granted Russian citizenship and was awarded the “Georgy Zhukov” medal for his participation in combat. On August 28, 2025, he returned to Uzbekistan. On September 3, he was summoned to the Papsky District police department, where he disclosed his involvement in the fighting. Authorities seized his mobile phone, which contained photographs of his military ID, service records, reports, as well as images of the medal and its certificate.

During the trial, the defendant fully admitted his guilt, confirmed the circumstances presented in the case, and expressed remorse, citing his difficult financial situation and dependents. The court found him guilty under Part 1 of Article 154 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Uzbekistan (mercenary activity) and sentenced him to three years of imprisonment in a general-regime colony.