Court in Kashkadarya Sentences Man in Mercenary Case

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — A court in the Kashkadarya region has found a man guilty in a mercenary case and sentenced him to imprisonment, according to a ruling of the Dekhkanabad district criminal court dated May 20.

According to case materials, in February 2023 the defendant left for Russia for work, where he was engaged in private transportation services.

Later, as stated in the court decision, he was detained by traffic police officers and taken to a police station, where he was accused of raping a female passenger and illegally possessing narcotics.

The case materials state that the man was offered a contract with the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation in order to avoid criminal prosecution. In December 2023, he was sent to Rostov-on-Don, where he underwent training and later found himself in the combat zone on the territory of Ukraine.

After completing the contract term, according to the court ruling, he submitted a request for discharge from military service.

However, he was subsequently sent on service assignments. In January 2026, he deserted his military unit and returned to Uzbekistan.

The court found him guilty under Part 1 of Article 154 of the Criminal Code (mercenary activity) and sentenced him to five years and two months of imprisonment.