“Either prison or the frontline”: Uzbek fighting for Russia surrenders to Ukraine (video)

An Uzbek citizen recruited by Russia for the war surrendered immediately after arriving at the Ukrainian front. His video message was published by the “Nexta Live” channel.

According to the 31-year-old man from Bukhara, he was forced to sign a contract to serve in the Russian army. Local police had accused him of involvement with drugs and threatened him with a 12–18-year prison sentence. Faced with this, he had only two options – either prison or the frontline.

As soon as he reached the battlefield, one of Ukraine’s military drones detected him. He surrendered immediately, unarmed. Speaking about the conditions in the Russian army, he said that soldiers had to buy their own communication devices and military equipment, while chaos and deceit prevailed in the ranks.

He added that there were so many bodies of fallen soldiers on the battlefield that there was hardly any space to step. The Uzbek man said he does not want to return to Russia and appealed to the government of Uzbekistan for help in returning home.

Earlier, in 2023, a 55-year-old man from Namangan who had signed a contract to serve in the Russian army was sentenced to two years in prison.