“I Want to Live” project has identified 481 citizens from Uzbekistan who were killed or went missing while fighting as mercenaries for Russia. The investigation states that this is only data from open sources, and the real number could be higher.
According to the project's data, more than 2,700 Uzbek citizens are serving in the Russian Armed Forces — some of them signed contracts under promises of work or threats. The large number of labor migrants and difficulties in finding work have made them targets for recruiters.
The report notes that Russia is compensating for its human resource shortages in the war with migrants, even offering rewards for finding so-called “death contractors.”
The government of Uzbekistan has stated that it is conducting awareness campaigns for its citizens about the dangers of the war, but the project authors emphasized that these measures are currently insufficient.
