Botir Kudratkhodjaev. Photo: press service of Uzbekistan's Prosecutor General's Office
Maj. Gen. Botir Kudratkhodjaev has been appointed Uzbekistan's new defense minister. President Shavkat Mirziyoyev signed the decree, the president's press service reported.
Shukhrat Khalmukhamedov, who had served as defense minister since November 2024, was relieved of his duties in connection with a transfer to another job.
Kudratkhodjaev was born on Nov. 12, 1975. After graduating from the Tashkent State Law Institute, he began working in the prosecutor's office. Over the years, he served as prosecutor of the Surkhandarya and Khorezm regions and of Tashkent. From 2017 to 2020, he headed the Compulsory Enforcement Bureau under the Prosecutor General's Office.
From November 2022 to February 2025, he served as deputy prosecutor general and military prosecutor of Uzbekistan. He was then appointed minister for emergency situations, a post he held for about a year. In January 2026, he became first deputy interior minister and head of the Operational Investigations Department.
