A court in Uzbekistan sentenced a 39-year-old man to four years and two months of restricted freedom for participating in Russia's war against Ukraine, gazeta.uz reported on Jan. 5.
The man traveled to Moscow in April 2023 seeking seasonal work and later joined the Russian Armed Forces, after undergoing military training for two months at a military base in Moscow.
He then fought in Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts until December 2023, and admitted to killing ten Ukrainian soldiers.
According to his claims, he was promised a monthly combat salary of 450,000 rubles but only received two payments of 150,000 rubles before the payments stopped.
The defendant admitted to financial hardship as the motivation for joining and voluntarily surrendered upon returning to Uzbekistan.
The court took into account his admission of guilt, remorse, and clean criminal record when determining the sentence.
In Uzbekistan, mercenary activities are punishable by up to 10 years, and another similar case recently resulted in a five-year prison sentence.
At the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Uzbekistan declared that it did not recognize the proxy authorities in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts and supported Ukraine's territorial integrity.
However, Tashkent continues to actively trade with Moscow, and the Uzbek government maintains close ties with the Russian leadership.
Olena Goncharova
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