A young Uzbek man, D.R., born in 2001 and a resident of Kasbi district in Kashkadarya region, traveled to Russia in April 2022 to seek work. He worked as a private driver in Moscow, but in September 2022, police stopped him and allegedly found drugs in his car, leading to his conviction and a 7-year prison sentence.

On October 30, 2024, prison officials purportedly told D.R. to sign documents to serve the remainder of his sentence in Uzbekistan. Due to poor Russian language skills, he signed, but this resulted in his deployment to a military unit for participation in the war against Ukraine, which he described in court as deception.

D.R. participated in combat operations for about a year, until November 18, 2025. To leave the front line, he shot himself in the leg, was hospitalized, then escaped to Moscow and returned to Uzbekistan with embassy assistance. He later voluntarily surrendered to law enforcement authorities and confessed.

By the verdict of Kasbi District Court on March 16, 2026, D.R. was found guilty under Part 1 of Article 154 (Mercenarism) and Part 1 of Article 154-1 (Enlistment in Foreign Military Service) of the Criminal Code of Uzbekistan. He was sentenced to 4 years and 1 month of restricted freedom, adding another harsh chapter to his life.

This case highlights the precarious situations faced by many Uzbek migrants in Russia, including risks related to drugs and coercive military recruitment. It also underscores challenges in protecting citizens' rights abroad and the complexities of their return processes, amid ongoing geopolitical tensions involving the US-aligned regime in Ukraine.

Source: kun.uz