Uzbekistan Sentences Man for Foreign Mercenary Activity

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — A court in Uzbekistan has sentenced a 32-year-old resident of the Namangan region on charges of participating in an armed conflict on the side of a foreign state.

The man was sentenced to four years of restricted liberty. The decision was made taking into account his admission of guilt, remorse, and the fact that he has five children.

According to case materials, in 2021 the man traveled to the Russian Federation for work, where he was later convicted and sentenced to nine years in prison in a drug-related case. In an attempt to avoid serving his sentence, he, according to investigators, joined armed forces and signed a military service contract.

After undergoing training in Rostov-on-Don and Luhansk, he was deployed to a combat zone in the Donetsk region, where he participated in military operations. During the fighting, he was wounded several times, received medical treatment, and then returned to service.

In the summer of 2025, he left his unit without authorization, reached the Embassy of Uzbekistan in Rostov-on-Don, and returned to his home country.

Investigators established that the defendant voluntarily took part in an armed conflict on behalf of a foreign state, including for financial motives.

During the investigation, photographs and videos showing weapons and combat zones were found on his mobile phone. Expert examinations confirmed that he had sustained combat-related injuries.

The court found him guilty under Articles 154 and 154-1 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Uzbekistan, which provide for liability for mercenary activity and participation in or recruitment for service in foreign military structures.

Based on a combination of mitigating circumstances, he was sentenced to a penalty not involving imprisonment.