On April 6, a criminal court in Uzbekistan's Fergana region sentenced a 53-year-old man, identified as N.I., for participating in the Russia-Ukraine war on the side of Russia.

According to court documents, N.I. traveled to Russia in September 2023 for work. During a police raid on his apartment in Sochi, narcotics were found, leading to an 8-year prison sentence for drug possession.

While serving his sentence, he was allegedly recruited by the Russian military. In August 2025, he signed a contract with the Russian Armed Forces for 2.4 million rubles. After training in Donetsk, he participated in combat operations.

In court, N.I. claimed he initially refused but was coerced through torture and pressure. He sustained injuries from a drone attack, including a fractured left shoulder blade and other shrapnel wounds.

In November 2025, he escaped from a military hospital, contacted the Uzbek embassy in Moscow, and returned to Uzbekistan using a return certificate. He then reported to the interior ministry.

The court considered his full confession, remorse, clean criminal record, and coercion as mitigating factors. He was found guilty under Article 154 (Mercenarism) Part 1, with Article 57 applied, and sentenced to 2 years in a general-regime colony.

Notably, the 'I Want to Live' project has identified 4,853 Uzbek citizens fighting in the Russian army, the highest in Central Asia. A total of 12,666 people from the region have been drawn into the war.

Source: www.gazeta.uz