Uzbek citizen sentenced for fighting on Russia’s side in war in Ukraine

As reported by Gazeta.uz, the man, 39, traveled to Moscow in April 2023 to find seasonal work. In June 2023, he signed a contract with the Russian military and underwent two months of training. He was promised 450,000 rubles a month in “combat” pay but received only two payments of 150,000 rubles before the payments stopped.

From June to December 2023, he fought with Russian forces in Shakhtarsk and Bakhmut in Ukraine’s Donetsk region, claiming to have killed more than 10 Ukrainian soldiers. He was later transferred to a reconnaissance unit and fought in Ukraine’s Luhansk for five months.

On December 31, 2023, he came back to Uzbekistan and surrendered to the authorities. At trial, he explained that he joined the Russian army due to financial difficulties.

It is reported that the "court took into account his guilty plea, remorse, lack of prior convictions, and the fact that he had three children". He was sentenced to four years and two months of restricted liberty.

• Over two years since the launch of the I Want to Live project, over 40,000 Russian soldiers have requested to surrender, despite resistance from Russian intelligence agencies.