Uzbek Citizen Sentenced to Prison for Mercenary Activity After Drone Injury

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — The Bustan District Criminal Court has considered the case of 23-year-old O. K., found guilty of mercenary activity.

According to court materials, in January 2025 the defendant traveled to Russia to earn money. When attempting to regularize his documents, he was informed of the need for deportation. However, due to financial difficulties, he continued working.

Later, while traveling to the city of Domodedovo, he was stopped in Istra by law enforcement officers and taken to a police station for lacking proper documents.

O. K. stated that he was forced to sign a document and sent to the settlement of Varozhnik, where he was provided with military uniforms, a phone, and bank cards, and underwent military training. Afterward, he, along with other individuals, was taken to Luhansk.

On May 8, the group was hit by a drone strike, during which the defendant sustained a leg injury and was hospitalized. He later returned to Moscow, purchased a ticket to Uzbekistan, and returned home.

Expressing remorse, O. K. requested a non-custodial sentence.

The court found him guilty under Part 1, Article 154 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Uzbekistan (“Mercenary Activity”) and sentenced him to three years in a general-regime penal colony.