️ A court in Uzbekistan's Jambay district has sentenced citizen M.B. to 5 years and 6 months in prison for mercenary activities, illegal border crossing, and other crimes. The verdict was delivered by the Jambay District Criminal Court.

️ According to case materials, the man traveled to Russia in November 2020 for work. In 2022, a Russian court sentenced him to 10 years for a drug-related offense. He was serving his sentence in Russian correctional facilities.

️ While in prison, on September 15, 2024, M.B. signed a contract for military service and was enlisted in a military unit of the Russian Defense Ministry. Later, photos of the contract and military ID were found on his phone. The court established that he participated in combat operations against Ukraine in the Donetsk region and was wounded by a mine explosion.

️ The defendant claimed that in the Russian colony he was pressured into participating in hostilities in exchange for release from further punishment. According to him, after signing the contract, he was sent for military training and then to the combat zone.

️ After being wounded, M.B. received treatment in a hospital, from which he allegedly escaped in December 2024. He then decided to return to Uzbekistan and illegally crossed the Russian-Kazakh border for $1,800. Subsequently, without documents, he crossed the Uzbek-Kazakh border in the Jizzakh region via Kazakhstan.

️ In Uzbekistan, the defendant, along with others, began organizing illegal border crossings for money. The group transported citizens from Uzbekistan to Kazakhstan and back through non-official border points. Amounts ranging from $1,300 to $4,000 were mentioned for organizing such crossings.

️ The court found M.B. guilty under Article 154, Part 1 (mercenary activities) and other articles of the Criminal Code, including attempted fraud and illegal border crossing. By partially combining sentences, he was sentenced to 5 years and 6 months in a general-regime colony.

Source: uznews.uz