The Marhamat District Criminal Court of the Andijan province has delivered a verdict against D. M., a citizen of Uzbekistan, for his involvement in Russia’s war against Ukraine. 

According to the case files, D. M., a resident of the Andijan province, entered into a three-month contract with the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in October 2022. After completing military training, the man was deployed to the combat zone in the Luhansk province, where he remained until his service term expired. During his deployment, he was handed an AK-74 assault rifle and participated in military operations.

During the trial, the defendant pleaded fully guilty and expressed deep remorse. He explained that he had initially traveled to Russia with his father in 2021 to find work, but claimed that his enlistment occurred under coercive circumstances.

D. M. testified that while in Moscow, he and his father were involved in a dispute with a Russian national. Following the altercation, police detained them and allegedly offered their release on the condition that D. M. sign a military contract. He further maintained that he never used his weapon during his service, acting instead as a cook, and claimed he was unaware that fighting for a foreign state was illegal under Uzbek law.

The court found D. M. guilty under Article 154, Part 1 of the Criminal Code (Mercenarism). In its ruling, the court acknowledged mitigating factors—including his confession, repentance, and lack of a prior criminal record—but also noted the aggravating factor of a "mercenary motive." D. M. was sentenced to three years of imprisonment in a general-regime penal colony.

Additionally, the court ordered the defendant to pay 19.38 million soums to the Kashkadarya Provincial Internal Affairs Department to cover the costs associated with his extradition and transport.