A court in Uzbekistan has convicted a 26-year-old man for being a mercenary after he returned to the Central Asian nation following a six-month stint in the ranks of the Wagner group where he was recruited from a Russian prison. The website Migrant.uz published the July 9 ruling by the Ohangaron City Court, according to which Shavkat Yuldashev was handed a parole-like 30-month sentence, during which, 20 percent of his salary will be taken by Uzbekistan's State Treasury. Authorities in Uzbekistan and other Central Asian nations have warned their citizens residing and working in Russia that being a mercenary is a crime in their countries. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Russian Service, click here.
Uzbekistan Convicts Man For Joining Wagner Mercenary Group In Ukraine
A Wagner mercenary on the streets of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine. (file photo)