Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — Courts in Uzbekistan have issued verdicts against two Uzbek citizens for serving under contract in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.

Both individuals were found guilty under Part 1 of Article 154 of the Criminal Code — “Mercenarism”, which carries a penalty of up to 10 years’ imprisonment.

The first case involves a 32-year-old man who initially left for Russia in 2018 in search of employment. He later acquired Russian citizenship while retaining his Uzbek passport. In July 2024, he signed a one-year contract for military service. On 27 July, he was wounded in action and hospitalized.

In September, he was declared temporarily unfit for service, and in December he returned to Uzbekistan on a flight from Samara. During a mobile phone inspection, evidence of his participation in military operations was discovered. The court found him guilty and sentenced him to five years in prison.

The second case concerns a 41-year-old Uzbek citizen who traveled to Nazran (Ingushetia) in 2023, also for work. There, he signed a military contract and took part in combat from April to December 2024. He was later granted leave due to injuries.

While on leave, he was detained for lacking identification documents and subsequently deported to Uzbekistan. Upon arrival, he voluntarily turned himself in to law enforcement authorities. The Andijan Regional Court sentenced him to three years and one month of imprisonment.