On June 23, a court in the Shurchi district of Uzbekistan's Surxondaryo region heard the case of a 56-year-old citizen, identified as Z.A., who fought on the Russian side in the Russia-Ukraine war. According to court documents, he traveled to Russia in March 2025 for work and later signed a contract with military unit No. 30926 in Vladivostok on June 12, 2025.

The documents state that Z.A. underwent 15 days of combat training in Sevastopol, including training with AK-74 assault rifles. He was then sent to Kursk Oblast for further training. On July 19, 2025, during exercises at a training ground, he broke his left leg and was treated at the Vishnevsky Military Hospital in Moscow until December 30, 2025.

In court, Z.A. claimed he was forced to sign the contract while intoxicated. He stated that when he visited a migration center in a drunken state, he was taken to a separate room and handed over to Russian military personnel who told him, 'You will serve in the army.' He also alleged that he deliberately broke his leg by jumping into a trench to avoid combat.

The court found Z.A. guilty under Article 154, Part 1 (Mercenarism) of the Criminal Code and sentenced him to 3 years and 6 months of restricted freedom. The sentence prohibits him from leaving his residence except for work or study, changing his residence without probation authority approval, or leaving Surxondaryo region. The court cited his full confession, remorse, health condition, and family situation as mitigating factors.

Source: www.gazeta.uz