Photo from social media.
A court in Uzbekistan’s Andijan Region has handed down a verdict in a case involving a local resident who took part in the war in Ukraine launched by Russia, Uznews.uz reported.
According to the case materials, in December 2022 the 25-year-old, identified as I. Kh., went to Russia for work and found a job as a courier. In January 2023, he was detained and convicted of illegal drug trafficking and sentenced to eight years in prison.
In August 2024, while serving his sentence, I. Kh. signed a contract with the Russian Armed Forces and was sent to the combat zone in Ukraine. During fighting near Donetsk, the Uzbek citizen sustained serious injuries. He then underwent lengthy treatment in military hospitals and returned to Uzbekistan in September 2025, where he was detained by law enforcement authorities.
The criminal court of the Jalakuduk District in Andijan Region found I. Kh. guilty under Part 1 of Article 154 (“Mercenarism”) of Uzbekistan’s Criminal Code and sentenced him to five years in prison. As stated in the ruling, the court took into account the defendant’s young age, the absence of prior convictions in Uzbekistan, his admission of guilt and positive character references, as well as his serious health condition resulting from his wounds. As a result, the prison term was replaced with a suspended sentence and a two-year probation period.
ℹ️ Fergana has repeatedly reported on cases in Uzbekistan involving prosecutions under the mercenarism article. Some defendants received real prison terms, while others were sentenced to restricted freedom. In November of this year, Uzbekistan’s State Security Service said that since 2022, a total of 338 criminal cases have been opened in the country over citizens’ participation in armed conflicts abroad.
