The court sentenced a 22-year-old Uzbek to a suspended sentence for fighting against Ukraine on the side of Russia, who stated that he chose to join the army instead of deportation, reported «Gazeta.uz». For participating in the hostilities, he received a medal and Russian citizenship.
According to the accusation, in November 2022, the young man arrived in Moscow to study at one of the private higher educational institutions. During his studies, he decided to earn money and signed a contract to participate in the war in Ukraine on the side of Russia.
In August 2023, he signed a one-year contract with the Russian Ministry of Defense with a salary of 350-400 thousand rubles per month, participating in hostilities in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions of Ukraine.
The defendant fully admitted his guilt, noting that he signed the contract to avoid deportation. He was detained by police in Moscow for lack of documents, after which he was offered a choice: deportation with a criminal case or joining the army with the promise of Russian citizenship. The student chose the latter.
The day before, the court sentenced a 39-year-old citizen of the country to four years and two months of restricted freedom. He signed a contract in June 2023 in Moscow, where he arrived in search of seasonal work, the publication reported. Under the contract terms, he was offered 450 thousand rubles «combat» per month, the defendant said. However, he received only two payments of 150 thousand rubles, after which the payments stopped.
The Uzbek participated in battles in Shakhtarsk and Bakhmut and, according to him, «killed more than 10 Ukrainian soldiers». In December 2023, he returned to Uzbekistan and voluntarily surrendered to law enforcement.
The court considered the voluntary surrender as a mitigating circumstance.
The Criminal Code of Uzbekistan prohibits its citizens from serving in the armies and other power structures of foreign states. The authorities of Central Asian countries have repeatedly warned citizens about criminal liability for participating in the war in Ukraine on any side.