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The judicial authorities of the Bustan district in the Andijan region of Uzbekistan have issued a ruling in the case of 24-year-old O.H., sentencing him to three years of imprisonment for participating in a special military operation (SMO) on the side of the Russian army. The verdict was announced on February 6, reports "Gazeta.uz".
According to the investigation, in January 2025, O.H. went to Russia in search of work. Initially, he got a job in one of the workshops at Vnukovo Airport, but it soon became clear that his documents were in violation of the law, and he faced deportation. The Uzbek migrant, in need of finances, decided to continue working despite the possible consequences.
In April, a friend offered him a new job at Domodedovo Airport. However, on his way to the meeting place, O.H. was detained by the police in the Moscow region of Istra. According to him, at the police station, he was "forced to sign some document".
Most likely, it was a contract with the Ministry of Defense, as three days later he was sent to a training ground, where he was issued military uniform, a phone, and bank cards. He subsequently underwent combat training.
After that, the Uzbek was deployed along with other servicemen to Luhansk, where on May 8, their group was attacked by a drone.
“I managed to survive, but my comrades died, and as a result of the explosion, I sustained leg injuries,” O.H. told investigators.
After the incident, he was sent to a hospital, and after his discharge, he returned to Moscow and then flew back to his homeland.
O.H. fully admitted his guilt, expressed remorse, and asked the court to impose a sentence not related to imprisonment.
The court found him guilty under part 1 of Article 154 ("Mercenarism") of the Criminal Code of Uzbekistan. In accordance with the court's decision, taking into account Article 57 ("Imposition of a more lenient sentence"), he was sentenced to three years of imprisonment in a general regime colony.
