On June 4, a criminal court in the Urgut district of Samarkand region heard the case of a 23-year-old citizen identified as M.B., who fought on the Russian side in the Russia-Ukraine war. According to court documents, M.B. traveled to Moscow in October 2024 for seasonal work.
Later, while in Orenburg, he was detained on January 8, 2025, on suspicion of illegal drug trafficking and placed in a temporary detention facility. Investigative materials state that facility staff informed him he could face a long prison sentence.
At the same time, he was allegedly offered immunity from prosecution in exchange for joining the war in Ukraine, with promises of Russian citizenship, a large one-time payment, and a monthly salary. He was recruited in August 2025 to fight on Russia's side in Ukraine.
According to court materials, from August 2025 to February 2026, he underwent military training and participated in combat in military units of the Russian Ministry of Defense stationed in Rostov and Donetsk regions. During combat, M.B. was wounded by a shell explosion and hospitalized.
Subsequently, on February 16, 2026, he escaped from the hospital and contacted the Consulate General of Uzbekistan in Rostov. The consulate issued him a "Certificate of Return to the Homeland," and he returned to Uzbekistan on March 6, 2026.
During the trial, M.B. partially admitted his guilt. He stated that in October 2024 he went to Russia for work, first in Kaluga and then in Orenburg, where he got a job with the Wildberries delivery service.
According to M.B., on January 8, 2025, while delivering an order, he was stopped by several people in civilian clothes who identified themselves as police officers. After a personal search, he was ordered to empty his pockets onto the hood of a car.
"When I took out the items from my pockets and placed them on the hood, I saw among them nine objects wrapped in blue tape that did not belong to me," M.B. said. According to him, the police opened one of the packages and claimed it contained a narcotic substance. He was then taken to a police station and placed in a temporary detention facility.
M.B. testified in court that during his detention he was subjected to pressure and torture. "After being placed in a temporary detention facility, for three months I was subjected to pressure and violence, tortured, and forced to sign a contract to go to the war in Ukraine," he said.
According to his testimony, in March 2025 a Russian court found him guilty of drug-related crimes and sentenced him to eight years in prison. He was then sent to a correctional facility in Orenburg.
M.B. claimed that while serving his sentence, facility staff continued to pressure him to sign a contract to fight in Ukraine, promising Russian citizenship, a one-time payment of 400,000 rubles, and a high monthly salary.
"Due to constant pressure and coercion, unable to withstand the torture, I was forced to agree to participate in hostilities between Russia and Ukraine and signed a contract with the Russian Ministry of Defense for one year of military service," he stated.
According to M.B., after signing the contract, he was transported along with about 200-250 other prisoners by military aircraft to Rostov region, then placed in a military unit in Donetsk. For several months, he was assigned to dig trenches and camouflage military objects.
M.B. also recounted an incident in December 2025. "On December 10, 2025, when eight prisoners left the military unit and were walking through the forest, a shell dropped from a military drone exploded, wounding me and causing me to lose consciousness. When I came to, I learned that six of my comrades had been killed, and only one other comrade and I survived," he said.
He was then treated at a military hospital in Rostov. M.B. said he contacted the Consulate General of Uzbekistan in Rostov with the help of his uncle. Consulate staff issued him a "Certificate of Return to the Homeland," after which he traveled through Russia, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan, returning home on March 6, 2026.
In court, M.B. emphasized that he did not voluntarily participate in the war in Ukraine. "I knew this action was illegal. But unable to withstand the constant pressure and torture from the correctional facility staff while serving my sentence, I was forced to agree to participate in hostilities," he said.
M.B. stated that he did not directly engage in combat but was mainly involved in digging trenches and camouflaging military equipment. He expressed remorse and asked the court for leniency.
A preventive inspector who testified in court said that after M.B.'s return to Uzbekistan, during a conversation he recounted his imprisonment in Russia and subsequent involvement in the war in Ukraine. The inspector also noted that his family had not previously come to the attention of law enforcement.
The court's verdict noted that M.B.'s admission of guilt and sincere remorse were considered mitigating circumstances. No aggravating circumstances were found.
In sentencing, the court also took into account that M.B. is single and his family and financial situation are difficult. The verdict stated that after returning to Uzbekistan, he provided law enforcement with truthful information about the events and assisted the investigation.
The court regarded these circumstances as significantly reducing the social danger of the crime and concluded that M.B. could be reformed without isolation from society.
The court found M.B. guilty of committing a crime under Part 1 of Article 154 (Mercenarism) of the Criminal Code. Applying Article 57 (Imposition of a lighter sentence), he was sentenced to 3 years and 6 months of restriction of freedom.
Under the sentence, M.B. cannot leave his place of residence in Urgut district during this period. He is only permitted to go to medical facilities for treatment. Additionally, he is prohibited from changing his residence without permission from the Urgut district police and from leaving Samarkand region.
Enforcement of the sentence and supervision of the convict are entrusted to the probation unit of the Public Security Service of the Urgut District Department of Internal Affairs. It was also established that after the sentence enters into force, the preventive measure of a "pledge of proper behavior" is canceled.
Source: www.gazeta.uz