Uzbekistan: Man Receives Sentence for Fighting in Ukraine

A 39-year-old Uzbek citizen has been sentenced to just over four years of restricted movement after admitting to killing more than 10 Ukrainian soldiers while fighting for Russia, Orda reports, citing Gazeta.uz.

The Andijan City Criminal Court delivered the verdict on December 4.

The defendant traveled to Moscow in April 2023 seeking seasonal work. 

After brief stints as a butcher and at an oil exchange, an acquaintance suggested joining the Russian military with a monthly salary of 450,000 rubles ($4,950). The man initially received two payments of 150,000 rubles, but they later stopped.

After two months of military training in Moscow, he served in combat operations in Shakhtyorsk and Bakhmut from July to November 2023. He was subsequently transferred to a Russian reconnaissance unit.

He later served in Lugansk for five months.

The man returned to Uzbekistan on December 31, 2023, and voluntarily surrendered to authorities, providing documentation of his Russian military service.

He cited financial hardship as motivation, noting his role as his family's sole provider.

Despite facing potential imprisonment of 5-10 years for mercenarism, the presiding judge handed down a lighter sentence of restricted freedom, citing mitigating factors including the defendant's guilty plea, clean record, and familial status with three children.

Under the sentence, he must remain in the Andijan region and can only leave his residence for work or study.