Uzbek National Sentenced for Participating in Armed Conflict in Samarkand Region

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — In Samarkand region, a 22-year-old man, Y.K., was sentenced after being found guilty of mercenary activity, the Kattakurgan District Court reported.

According to the case materials, in 2021 the young man traveled to Russia for work. In December of the same year, he was sentenced to nine years in prison for a drug-related offense.

While serving his sentence in Nizhny Tagil, Y.K. was approached with propaganda aimed at recruiting foreign inmates to participate in combat operations in Ukraine. Participants were promised early release, financial compensation, housing, and Russian citizenship.

In early 2025, he was forcibly sent to a military unit in the Ryazan region, then underwent training in Donetsk and Luhansk and took part in combat operations.

In February of this year, Y.K. was injured in a drone attack, after which he escaped from the hospital and contacted the Embassy of Uzbekistan in Moscow. In July, he was returned to Uzbekistan.

Following the trial, the court found him guilty under Article 154 of the Criminal Code of Uzbekistan (“Mercenary Activity”) and sentenced him to four years of restricted freedom.