️ On April 9, a court in the Khojaabad district of the Andijan region convicted 26-year-old citizen Y.I. for participating in hostilities on the Russian side in the Russia-Ukraine war. He was found guilty under Part 1 of Article 154 (Mercenarism) of the Criminal Code and sentenced to 3 years of imprisonment in a general-regime colony.
️ According to court materials, Y.I. traveled to Nizhnevartovsk, Russia, in January 2023 for work. In January 2024, he signed a contract with Russian military unit No. 41680 and took part in armed clashes in Ukraine. He was neither a citizen nor a serviceman of any state and acted without official assignment.
️ In court, Y.I. stated that he decided to join the war due to mounting debts. He saw an advertisement offering a one-time payment of 740,000 rubles and a monthly salary of 204,000 rubles. He applied on January 7, 2024, and a week later was taken with 20 Russians to Khanty-Mansiysk, where the contract was formalized.
️ He adopted the call sign “Turk” and trained with an AK-74 assault rifle. In March 2024, during a battle in the “Toninkaya” area, a drone strike killed most of his eight comrades, while Y.I. sustained shrapnel wounds to his left shoulder blade and thigh. After treatment in military hospitals in Rostov and Astrakhan regions, he learned from individuals of Kazakh origin that fighting for another state's interests is a crime.
️ Contacting his brother, he decided to return to Uzbekistan and arrived home on April 13, 2024. He threw the military contract, dog tag, and other documents into the Fergana Canal. In May 2025, Y.I. voluntarily surrendered a military bag, bank cards, medical documents, clothing, and his phone to the police.
️ A forensic medical examination confirmed an open fracture of the left femur, metal fragments in his body, and other injuries consistent with an explosion. The court considered his remorse, lack of prior convictions, status as the sole breadwinner, and war wounds as mitigating factors. However, the mercenary motive was deemed an aggravating circumstance.
️ Applying Article 57 (imposition of a lighter sentence), the court sentenced Y.I. to 3 years of imprisonment. The previous preventive measure was canceled, and he was taken into custody immediately in the courtroom.
Source: www.gazeta.uz