A court in Namangan Region has sentenced a 55-year-old citizen of Uzbekistan to two years in prison for signing a contract with Russia’s Ministry of Defense, Podrobno.uz reported, citing a copy of the court ruling.
According to the case materials, the man left for Russia in June 2023 as a labor migrant, intending to obtain a work permit. However, he was offered a contract with the Russian Ministry of Defense, with promises of future Russian citizenship and legal employment. In July 2023, he signed a one-year contract and was sent to his assigned duty station.
In Belgorod Region, he served under the call sign “Ded” (“Grandpa”), working on the repair of military equipment. Court documents state that he was not deployed to the front line. During his service, he received a one-time payment of 700,000 rubles and monthly wages. In May 2024, he was discharged for health reasons and returned to Uzbekistan, where he was later brought to trial.
During the investigation, the man admitted his guilt, explaining that he had agreed to the contract solely for financial reasons.
The court found that the defendant had voluntarily joined a foreign army and participated in an armed conflict. He was convicted under Article 154 (“Mercenarism”) of Uzbekistan’s Criminal Code.
Several similar cases have been reported in recent years. For instance, a 32-year-old native of Bukhara Region, who had obtained Russian citizenship, was sentenced to five years in prison for participating in combat operations in Luhansk Region. Another case involved a 22-year-old from Fergana Region, a student at a Moscow university, who was detained for violating migration rules and offered the choice of military service instead of deportation. After fighting in Luhansk and Donetsk, he returned home and was convicted. His five-year prison term was later reduced to a suspended sentence with a three-year probation period.
