The Criminal Court District of Fergana province has handed down a verdict against a citizen who took part in Russia's war against Ukraine.
According to the case files, 53-year-old N.I. traveled to Russia in 2023 in search of work.
"On September 10, 2023, I went to the city of Sochi for work. On my second day there — while staying in an apartment before I had started my job — Russian police officers showed up and conducted a search. They found a small amount of drugs in the kitchen. I was then charged with illegal drug possession, and the court sentenced me to 8 years in prison," he told the court.
While serving his sentence in the Saratov region, he was approached with an offer to join the Russian military. In August 2025, he signed a contract with the Russian Armed Forces in exchange for financial compensation of 2.4 million rubles.
"At first I refused, but after being subjected to torture and coercion, I had no choice but to agree and sign the military contract. In September 2025, following military training at one of the units in the Donetsk Region, I took part in combat operations against Ukraine as a regular soldier within the Russian Armed Forces," he testified in court.
The defendant stated that during a drone strike, he suffered a fractured left shoulder blade along with shrapnel wounds to his left cheek and left eye, after which he was hospitalized.
In November of last year, he was discharged from the hospital and subsequently turned to the Uzbek Embassy in Moscow before returning home.
In court, the defendant entered a full guilty plea, expressed remorse, and maintained that he had agreed to participate in the fighting under duress.
The court sentenced N.I. to two years in prison under Part 1 of Article 154 (Mercenary Activity) of the Criminal Code. He will serve his sentence in a general-regime correctional colony.
Ukraine's state project "I Want to Live" had previously confirmed the names of 12,666 citizens from Central Asian countries who have fought or are currently fighting in the Russian army in Ukraine. Of those, 4,853 are listed as citizens of Uzbekistan.
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