Uzbek national recruited by Wagner convicted upon return

R.D., born in 1966 in Karshi district, was sentenced for joining the Wagner private military company and taking part in combat operations.

According to court documents reviewed by Kun.uz, R.D. went to Moscow on February 27, 2020, for seasonal work. He was arrested there on suspicion of committing intentional murder. On August 10, 2021, the Podolsk City Court of the Russian Federation found him guilty and sentenced him to nine years in prison.

R.D. began serving his sentence in a correctional facility located in Mordovia, Saransk region. On September 21, 2022, he accepted an offer to join Wagner and signed a contract to participate in the war against Ukraine.

He served in the war from September 21, 2022, to March 21, 2023. Following his involvement in combat, he was released from military service, pardoned for his prior crime, and awarded the “For Courage” medal and other decorations.

During the trial, R.D. fully admitted his guilt.

“I’ve been going to Russia for seasonal work since 2013. The last time I traveled was on February 27, 2020, to Moscow. I was working in construction, and due to the start of quarantine, I couldn’t return home,” he told the court.

“In September 2021, I was staying in a wagon-style dormitory in the Podolsk district with people from Navoi while working construction. One of my roommates, with whom I had been drinking alcohol, started an argument. In a fit of rage, I stabbed a man named Nazar in the chest in an attempt to defend myself. As a result of the injury, Nazar died. For this crime, I was sentenced to nine years in prison by the Podolsk City Court on August 10, 2021,” he said.

According to his testimony, Wagner officials visited the prison in September 2022 and began signing contracts with inmates. The head of the special detention unit told him he had been shortlisted to join the war effort.

“I agreed to the offer to fight on Russia’s side in the war between Russia and Ukraine,” said R.D.

Wagner commanders promised him a monthly salary of 100,000 rubles, Russian citizenship, and exemption from serving the remainder of his sentence. R.D. agreed and fought in Ukraine from September 21, 2022, to March 21, 2023.

After returning from the front, he worked various jobs in Moscow until March 2025. On March 9, 2025, he returned to Uzbekistan on a flight from Moscow to Samarkand. Two days later, on March 11, he voluntarily submitted a repentance letter regarding his actions to the State Security Service (SSS) in Kashkadarya region.

The court found R.D. guilty under Article 154, Part 1 of the Criminal Code (mercenary activity) and sentenced him to three years and six months of restricted freedom. The pre-trial detention measure was lifted, and he was released from the courtroom.

Previously, another Uzbek national who had acquired Russian citizenship and fought in Ukraine was sentenced to five years in prison.