"Either deportation or a trench," said an Uzbek student who fought in the war and was sentenced upon his return from Russia.

In the Kushtepa district, a young man who served in the Russian army and participated in combat actions against Ukraine has been sentenced. Kun.uz reviewed the court documents.

According to the verdict, A.K., born in 2002 in the Kushtepa district, went to Moscow for studies on November 30, 2022. While attending a private university, A.K. was tempted by financial gain and enlisted in the Russian army. On August 23, 2023, he signed a contract with the Armed Forces of Russia for one year to participate in combat actions against Ukraine for a salary of 350,000–400,000 rubles per month. From October 13, 2023, to February 2024, he participated in combat actions in Luhansk and Donetsk for four months.

During the trial, A.K. fully admitted his guilt.

“At the end of September 2021, I enrolled in a private university in Moscow. Around the summer of 2023, I was detained due to the lack of documents and taken to the police department in Moscow. There, I was informed that I would be deported from Russia, a criminal case would be opened against me, and I was offered an alternative—to join the army, in return for which I would be promised Russian citizenship. I voluntarily agreed.

Police officers handed me a summons. On August 17, 2023, I went to the recruitment office 'Yablochko' in Moscow with the summons and signed a one-year contract to participate in combat actions as part of the Armed Forces of Russia against Ukraine. At the recruitment office, I underwent a medical examination and was sent to a temporary detention camp in the Moscow region. According to the contract, my salary was about 195,000 rubles per month.

After that, I was sent to a military unit in Tolyatti, Samara region. There, I was issued a military ID of the Armed Forces of Russia. After one and a half months of military training, I and other soldiers were sent on October 10, 2023, to a camp near the Russian-Ukrainian border. On October 13, 2023, we were sent to participate in combat actions in the city of Luhansk. I fought there for four months, and on February 10, 2024, we were transferred to the Donetsk region. Due to injuries sustained during combat, I was treated in a hospital in Donetsk until February 26, 2024,” the defendant said.

Then A.K. returned to the military unit in Tolyatti. With the money earned from participating in combat, he bought a car and a mortgage apartment in Tolyatti. Additionally, he was awarded a medal and granted Russian citizenship.

On September 14, 2024, A.K. left the military unit without permission to register the car in his name. After that, his commander called him and began to insult him. In response, A.K. expressed his intention to terminate the contract and returned to Uzbekistan in his car.

According to him, due to his mother’s severe cancer illness, urgent funds were needed for treatment and surgery. The defendant acknowledged his guilt, expressed remorse, and requested the court for leniency in sentencing.

The court found A.K. guilty of committing a crime as specified in part 1 of Article 154 of the Criminal Code (Mercenarism). He was sentenced to 5 years in prison. In accordance with Article 72 of the Criminal Code, the sentence was requalified to conditional with a probation period of 3 years.

Previously, it was reported that another resident of the Kushtepa district was sentenced to 5 years in prison for mercenarism in the Russian army.