R. I., the defendant in the case. Photo: krasrab.ru.
The Kamashi District Criminal Court has sentenced a 40-year-old native of Uzbekistan’s Kashkadarya Region, identified as R. I., to four years of restricted freedom after finding him guilty of mercenarism. UzNews.uz reported this, citing the court’s ruling.
According to the case materials, while living in Russia R. I. married a local resident and in 2015 obtained a Russian passport, while retaining his Uzbek citizenship.
Beginning in 2023, he repeatedly attempted to obtain a foreign passport in order to leave Russia. In March 2025, migration officials informed him that a foreign passport could be issued only after he was registered for military service.
R. I. told the court that he had informed the military enlistment office about his health problems and his unwillingness to fight. Despite this, he was forcibly sent to a military unit stationed in Primorsky Krai.
While in service, the Uzbek national realized that he was being prepared for deployment to the combat zone in Ukraine. He reported to his commanders that he had a hernia, after which he was transferred to a military hospital. He underwent surgery there and then left the hospital without authorization, did not return to his unit, and on July 9 arrived in Uzbekistan.
After returning home, R. I. voluntarily approached the Kashkadarya regional office of the State Security Service. He submitted a written statement of repentance and attached documents confirming his participation in what Russia calls the “special military operation.”
After reviewing the case materials, the court found R. I. guilty under Part 1 of Article 154 (“Mercenarism”) of the Criminal Code of Uzbekistan and, taking the circumstances into account, imposed a sentence of restricted freedom.
ℹ️ Fergana has repeatedly reported on mercenarism cases in Uzbekistan. In October this year, for example, a 55-year-old man from Namangan was sentenced to two years in prison for signing a contract with Russia’s Ministry of Defense and serving for some time in the Russian army. Earlier, a 32-year-old native of Bukhara Region was sentenced to five years in prison for participating in combat operations in Luhansk Region. A 25-year-old resident of Surkhandarya Region, who said he was tricked into signing a contract with the Russian army under the pretext of deportation paperwork and then sent to Ukraine, received a three-year sentence in a settlement colony.
In November, the State Security Service reported that since 2022, 338 criminal cases have been opened in Uzbekistan over citizens’ participation in armed conflicts abroad.
