Another Uzbek citizen imprisoned for participating in the war in Ukraine

north_east

“Hooded and taken away”: Uzbek man punished for fighting in Ukraine

On 24 September this year, the Criminal Court of Gallaorol District, Jizzakh region, sentenced a man who had taken part in the fighting in Ukraine as a member of the Russian army. QALAMPIR.UZ has reviewed the court’s verdict.

According to the court documents, the 40-year-old defendant, B.M., had travelled to Russia for work. For financial gain, he signed a contract for military service with a unit based in the Tolyatti district of Samara region. From 10 July 2023 to 11 July 2024, he served as a private in the Russian Armed Forces and took part in armed clashes and military operations in the temporarily occupied territories of Luhansk and Donetsk regions of Ukraine.

After that, in order to conceal his identity and participation in the war in Ukraine, B.M. tore out several pages of his biometric passport issued by the Bakhmal District Department of Internal Affairs. In violation of Article 37 of the Law “On Citizenship of the Republic of Uzbekistan,” he obtained Russian citizenship without applying to the internal affairs bodies or the Embassy of Uzbekistan to renounce his Uzbek citizenship.

During the first half of his service, he earned 43,500 rubles per month, and in the second half, his monthly salary increased to 210,000 rubles. With the money he earned, he purchased a two-room apartment in the Duminichi district of Kaluga region, and from July 2024 to February 2025, he worked in construction in Moscow.

At the trial, the defendant fully admitted his guilt. He stated that he sincerely regretted his actions, explaining that he had done so due to difficult family circumstances and financial hardship, and asked the court for leniency.

He was found guilty under Article 154 (mercenary activity), part 1, and Article 228 (forgery, sale, or use of documents, stamps, seals, or forms), part 2, paragraph “a” of the Criminal Code. By partial combination of penalties, he was sentenced to three years and one month of imprisonment, to be served in a general-regime penal colony.

It should be noted that this is not the first case of an Uzbek citizen being recruited to fight in Russia’s war against Ukraine. Reports frequently emerge that many Uzbeks are taking part in the conflict. For instance, earlier, under the support of the Ministry of Defense and the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine, the “I Want to Live” project published the names of 902 Uzbek citizens who had signed contracts with the Russian Armed Forces to fight in Ukraine. According to some media outlets, Uzbeks are among the first in line when it comes to recruitment, as in many other sectors. Even Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has confirmed that Uzbek citizens are fighting on the Russian side.

It is worth noting that earlier, a resident of Tashkent region who had gone to Russia for work was sentenced to five years of restricted freedom for participating in the war against Ukraine. Likewise, another resident of Yangiyul city in Tashkent region was sentenced to five years and one month of imprisonment for taking part in the fighting and for cultivating narcotic plants in his home.