The Kagan City Criminal Court has sentenced 33-year-old M.B. to three years in prison for mercenary activities. According to court documents, the defendant traveled to Russia in 2022 for work.

In April 2024, while working as a private driver, two men entered his car and began questioning him about the war between Russia and Ukraine. They later identified themselves as police officers, claimed his documents were in violation, showed a bag of a substance resembling drugs, and threatened to frame him for drug possession.

The men allegedly told him he faced 13 years in prison and demanded he report to a military unit to sign a contract. In July 2024, after signing the contract, he received a Russian passport. During his service, he worked as a driver, transporting soldiers, weapons, and supplies.

In July 2025, he was sent to the Novopol area where fighting was ongoing. Fearing death, he reportedly made an improvised explosive device and blew off his own finger. After being hospitalized in a military hospital, he managed to escape to Uzbekistan.

In court, he expressed sincere remorse, claiming he committed the crime under duress, fearing imprisonment. The court found him guilty under Article 154, Part 1 of the Uzbek Criminal Code (Mercenary) and sentenced him to three years in prison.

Source: uznews.uz