‘You came to be a slave’ – another Uzbek citizen forced into war

It is no secret that thousands of Uzbek citizens are already taking part in wars in foreign countries. Some do so voluntarily, some are deceived, and others are forced. Today, Uzbek nationals carrying weapons in Syria as part of the Ash-Shara army are being raided and detained. On the other side of the world, the fate of Uzbeks caught up in the Russia–Ukraine war is even worse. Ukraine has repeatedly published information about Uzbeks fighting on the Russian side who have been killed or captured. The names of more than a thousand people holding Uzbek passports have been made public. It was also noted separately that those who had already obtained Russian citizenship were not included in the list.

Overall, the Russian government, influenced by imperialist-minded figures, has turned Central Asian migrants into a cheap and expendable resource to be sent into war without hesitation, without question, and with little accountability. For the chauvinist Russian state, which is accountable to its own people for every Russian soldier killed, foreign migrants serve as weapons that “exist on the battlefield but are not counted.”

‘They knocked his tooth out’ – mother from Surkhandarya fears for her son’s health

Among those forced into such a future but still believing there is a chance to return is one of the young Uzbek men currently being held in a basement by Russian forces. His mother, Rozigul Boboeva from Surkhandarya, contacted QALAMPIR.UZ. According to her, her 23-year-old son, Akbar Akramjon ogli Qurbanov, left for the Republic of Tatarstan in the Russian Federation on July 30 this year to work with acquaintances.

Akbar Qurbanov worked for the first month at a car parts manufacturing plant. Later, he came across a promising online job offer from a company recruiting drivers. Akbar, who holds a category B and C driver’s license, trusted the offer and left alone for Rostov Oblast on September 8, unaware of what awaited him.

He was informed that he had to undergo a medical examination and complete a one-month military service before starting the driving job. Focused on earning a living and trying to double his income, Akbar did not question these requirements, assuming they were part of the job process. During this so-called one-month service, he was told he needed to sign a contract to be employed. When he refused to sign, not understanding what was written in the documents, he was subjected to physical abuse, threatened with 10 years in prison, and forced to sign. Realizing the seriousness of the situation, he deliberately altered his signature before signing.

After that, Akbar Qurbanov was taken to a military training ground. According to his mother, he attempted to escape on the advice of relatives he was in contact with but was caught and thrown into a basement. Boboeva says her son has no clothes other than those on his back and is being fed only boiled rice. However, she is more concerned about the physical violence, as Akbar’s tooth was knocked out during the abuse — something that is visible in the videos he sent.

Akbar Qurbanov is currently being held in a territory of Ukraine’s Luhansk region controlled by Russia. His personal belongings, including his phone, have been confiscated. He communicates with his mother through the phone of a Muslim Russian soldier held with him: Akbar’s relatives in Russia transfer money to the soldier’s phone account, and in return, he allows Akbar to call. In videos sent from this phone, Akbar appeals to the Uzbek government for help through his mother.

According to the mother, she has already appealed to President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and to Saida Mirziyoyeva, the head of the Presidential Administration. She claims she has knocked on the doors of every possible institution and ministry, including repeatedly visiting the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in recent days, but to no avail — only bureaucratic delays.

She also said that her son was informed he would be sent to war after obtaining Russian citizenship. This suggests that the Russian government has become more sophisticated in sending migrants to the battlefield. The promise of citizenship, once attractive in the early stages of the war, no longer holds the same appeal. Mercenary soldiers thrown into minefields, with no guarantee of survival, are not interested in Russian citizenship. Moreover, in many countries, including Uzbekistan, dual citizenship is prohibited, and once a person takes another country’s citizenship, they are considered a foreigner to their homeland. This creates a situation in which Russia sends people no one will inquire about.

Uzbeks on the battlefield

Over the more than three and a half years of this war, thousands of migrants — many of whom do not even understand why they are there — have died and continue to die in combat. Alexander Bastrykin, head of Russia’s Investigative Committee, previously stated that 20,000 young people from Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan who did not want to live in their home countries and obtained Russian citizenship had been sent to the war.

“Our military investigation unit is conducting raids. We have ‘hunted down’ 80,000 Russian citizens who not only refused to go to the war zone but did not even want to visit the military commissariat. We caught these 80,000 people and registered them for military service. In addition, we sent 20,000 young Russian citizens — who, for some reason, do not like living in Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, or Kyrgyzstan — to the front line,” Bastrykin said on May 19 at the St. Petersburg International Legal Forum.

According to the “I Want to Live” project, which helps soldiers fighting on the Russian side who are ready to surrender voluntarily, more than 900 Uzbeks have been recruited to fight for Russia since the beginning of 2025. It is also reported that over 2,000 Uzbeks have signed contracts with the Russian Armed Forces.

“History offers many examples of the Russian Empire exploiting the lives of others for its goals. But today’s era is particularly brutal. Once, Russians viewed Uzbeks as cheap labor; now they have turned into cannon fodder. The status of Uzbeks in Russian society has not changed: they remain ‘second-class’ and are being sent to die for Putin’s imperial ambitions. Every signed contract is a one-way ticket. We sincerely hope that the Uzbek government understands this and will take stronger action to protect the lives of its citizens and respond firmly to Russia’s actions,” reads a post on the project’s Telegram channel.

According to “I Want to Live,” Uzbeks are among the most frequently recruited foreign nationals for the war. As you may recall, in April the project published the names of 1,110 Uzbek citizens who had signed contracts with the Russian Armed Forces to participate in the conflict. Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that these reports were being verified by the competent authorities. The Prosecutor General’s Office and the Ministry of Justice have repeatedly warned that Uzbek citizens who participate in military operations in third countries or on behalf of those countries face criminal liability. However, while those who choose to go to war voluntarily for personal gain or other motives might be held accountable, what about those who are deceived, threatened, or coerced into a battlefield they never chose, and now desperately plead for help from the Uzbek government? What will happen to the trampled rights of Uzbeks who went abroad simply hoping to earn a living?

The independent Russian publication “Verstka” has reported that foreign nationals are being forced into war through methods such as “planting evidence and fabricating charges to arrest them,” “intimidation,” “physical violence,” and “labeling them as extremists.” Such reports support the claims of Uzbeks seeking help that they are being coerced.

What does the law say about mercenary activity?

Uzbek passports state that every citizen holding one is under the protection of the state, and the government does provide assistance to citizens in difficult situations abroad — something confirmed by numerous official reports. However, the issue becomes far more serious in the case of citizens participating or being forced to participate in the Russia–Ukraine war. It is undeniable that there are those who have been returned — either with the help of the embassy, by escaping, or after being wounded and hospitalized — and prosecuted under the law.

According to Article 154 of Uzbekistan’s Criminal Code, mercenary activity — defined as the recruitment of a person who is not a citizen or military serviceman of a warring state, does not permanently reside in the territory of a warring state, and has not been officially authorized by any state to perform tasks as part of its armed forces, but who participates in armed conflict or military action in another state’s territory for material gain or other personal benefit — is punishable by five to ten years of imprisonment.

Under Article 154-1 of the Criminal Code, an Uzbek citizen who joins the armed forces, security, police, military justice, or similar bodies of a foreign state may face a fine of up to 300 times the base calculation amount or up to three years of corrective labor. Recruitment into such service is punishable by up to five years of imprisonment.

‘Do not go to Russia…’

QALAMPIR.UZ has produced and published several episodes under the series “Do Not Go to Russia.” In general, social media is flooded with footage showing Uzbeks suffering from racially motivated attacks by Russians and abuse by special forces. Moreover, public figures such as Alisher Kadyrov, chairman of the Milliy Tiklanish Party, Bobur Bekmurodov, head of the Yuksalish National Movement, and journalist Sherzodkhon Qudrathoja have all called on Uzbeks not to go to Russia.

For instance, reacting to a video showing raids against migrants and the brutal actions of law enforcement officers towards migrant workers, Qudrathoja said: “Do not go to Russia; there, they will beat you, kick you, and insult you.”

“I want to tell our youth — young men and women — do not go to Russia. There, they will beat you, kick you, and humiliate you. In Russia, they do not value you; on the contrary, they will trample on you. Yet you are doing the hardest work that their own people refuse to do, and sadly, this is the ‘reward’ you receive!” the journalist wrote.

In the 21st century, making migrants kneel, lining them up shoulder to shoulder like a living chain for inspection, is a violation of human dignity. Even more distressing is that such inhumane treatment — degrading migrants, trampling on their dignity and self-worth — has been transferred into the political sphere by imperialist-minded politicians and ministers in the Kremlin.