Uzbek Migrant Framed on Drug Charges, Tortured Into Signing Russian Military Contract, Sent to Demine Fields Before Assault Units - Uzbek Court Sentences Him for Mercenary Activity

A court in Khanabad, Andijan region, Uzbekistan has sentenced a 29-year-old Uzbek national, identified as A.S., to three years of corrective labor with 20% of his earnings withheld by the state, on charges of mercenary activity. The case, reported by Gazeta.uz, documents in precise detail how Russia's drug plant-to-frontline recruitment pipeline operates — and how it ends.

From St. Petersburg to Yekaterinburg

A.S. traveled to Russia in August 2024 to earn money. He settled in St. Petersburg, rented a car, and began working as an intercity driver. During a journey on the Kazan-Omsk route, traffic police stopped his vehicle. During a search of the luggage, narcotics were found in a passenger's bag. Both A.S. and his passenger were taken to Yekaterinburg police.

The passenger stated that the drugs were his and that the driver had no knowledge of them. It made no difference. According to A.S.'s testimony, he was subjected to physical violence and torture. Both men were remanded in custody for two months on drug trafficking charges.

Subsequently, FSB officers announced the discovery of 3.5 kg of narcotics in the fuel tank of A.S.'s Kia Optima. In court in Andijan, A.S. testified that he was tortured again and told he faced up to 20 years in prison - or life imprisonment.

The offer

FSB officers then presented A.S. with an alternative: sign a contract with the Russian Armed Forces and go to war against Ukraine, in exchange for release from criminal liability and Russian citizenship. A.S. agreed - under continuous pressure and torture, as he stated in court.

In September 2025 he signed a contract with Russia's Ministry of Defense and was deployed to a combat unit near Vovchansk, Kharkiv Region. He initially worked evacuating the dead and wounded. He then participated in assault operations as an infantryman until November 2025.

The escape

In January 2026 A.S. overheard a conversation: non-Russian servicemen were being planned for deployment as human minesweepers - sent ahead of assault units to clear minefields with their bodies. A.S. fled the unit, contacted the Uzbek embassy in Moscow through acquaintances, received travel documents, and returned home.

Back in Uzbekistan, law enforcement questioned him and examined his phone - finding photographs taken during his military service and combat operations.

The sentence

A.S. pleaded guilty in full, expressed remorse, and stated clearly that he had not joined the Russian Armed Forces voluntarily but under coercion. The court took into account his full confession, lack of prior convictions, and his status as the sole breadwinner for a family with a minor child. He was convicted under Part 1 of Article 154 of Uzbekistan's Criminal Code (Mercenary Activity) and sentenced to three years of corrective labor with 20% salary deductions - to be served at his place of residence.

The charge of joining the armed forces of a foreign state was dropped by the judge, who considered it fully covered by the mercenary statute.

The pattern

This is the second documented Uzbek case of this specific pipeline in recent weeks — matching almost exactly the case of the 30-year-old from Termez covered previously on StopRussianRecruiters.org. Drug plant. Detention. Torture. Contract. Front line. The mechanism is consistent enough to be considered standard operating procedure.

Uzbekistan has opened 338 criminal cases under its mercenary statute since 2022. As of April 2026, at least 4,853 Uzbek nationals are estimated to have been recruited into the Russian Armed Forces.

If you or your relative are being coerced into military service in Russia - do not hesitate and act now before deployment to the battlefield. Ukraine offers a safe way out.

Source: Gazeta.uz