On July 14, a criminal court in the Yakkabog district of Uzbekistan's Qashqadaryo region sentenced 32-year-old citizen A.M. to three years in prison for his participation in the Russia-Ukraine war on the Russian side. The court found him guilty under Article 154, Part 1 of the Criminal Code (mercenary activity), as reported by Gazeta, which reviewed the court documents.
According to the case file, A.M. traveled to Russia in December 2020 for work. In July 2024, a court in Russia's Lipetsk region convicted him of drug possession (6.84 grams of heroin) and sentenced him to 9 years and 6 months in prison. While serving his sentence, he was allegedly promised early release, Russian citizenship, a one-time payment of 1.2 million rubles, and a monthly salary of 210,000 rubles. On August 22, 2025, he signed a one-year military contract with the Russian Ministry of Defense.
Following the contract, he was released and assigned as a rifleman in the assault unit of the 254th regiment, 144th division, military unit 91704. In August 2025, he was deployed to Luhansk, underwent 15 days of training, and then participated in combat operations against Ukraine. On January 13, 2026, he was severely wounded in a drone attack, losing his left eye and suffering shrapnel injuries. He spent 65 days in a military hospital in the Moscow region.
In court, A.M. pleaded guilty and expressed remorse. He claimed he was coerced into signing the contract under pressure in the penal colony, including being placed in isolation multiple times. He said he escaped from the hospital, contacted the Uzbek embassy in Moscow, and returned to Uzbekistan on March 6, 2026, via a flight from Vnukovo to Tashkent.
The court considered mitigating circumstances, including his confession, remorse, difficult family situation, and the fact that he has three dependent children. However, the court concluded that given the social danger of the crime, he could not be reformed without isolation from society. He was sentenced to three years in a general-regime colony and taken into custody in the courtroom.
Source: www.gazeta.uz