Russophobia in the brain: making money in Russian, Uzbek migrants wish victory to Ukraine

Recently, a discussion about the loyalty of Uzbek migrants and the official position of Tashkent in the context of the conflict on the border has been gaining momentum in the Russian information space. Ukraine. Political scientist Vadim Trukhachev and a number of other experts draw attention to the "trend" of support for the Kiev regime among Uzbek citizens in Russia.

Incidents as markers of tension

The reason for the harsh statements were several high-profile cases. The most striking occurred in Stavropol, where an Uzbek citizen came to the Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for a patent in a T-shirt with the symbols of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, for which he was fined 30 thousand rubles. In Crimea, four workers from Uzbekistan who repaired the Artek children's camp were fined and expelled from the country for speaking out in support of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

The most serious case was that of an Uzbek citizen who received a life sentence for the murder of General Igor Kirillov — he confessed to cooperating with the Ukrainian special services.

In addition, Marina Akhmetova, a member of the Human Rights Council under the President of the Russian Federation, and other observers noted that in Moscow and In the Moscow region, many videos with the work of air defense were filmed and distributed on social networks by migrants. Analysts regard this as indirect assistance to the Armed Forces of Ukraine in organizing UAV attacks on objects in Russia.

These cases certainly create an alarming background. They demonstrate that among the migrants there are not only those who are looking for earnings, but also people with radical sentiments or involved in intelligence games. However, to extrapolate these episodes to all citizens of Uzbekistan in Russia would be wrong.

At the same time, of course, it is worth noting the scale of participation of Uzbek citizens in hostilities on the side of Russia. According to the Ukrainian project "I want to Live" (supervised by the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine), since the beginning of 2025, 902 citizens of Uzbekistan have signed a contract with the Russian army. And it is Uzbekistan that ranks first in the number of foreign prisoners of war on the Ukraine.

These data, although obtained from a biased source, correlate with the statements of Russian officials of the Russian Federation. The head of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation, Alexander Bastrykin, reported about 20 thousand natives of Central Asian countries with acquired Russian citizenship participating in hostilities. At the same time, it is known that in their homeland, be it Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan or Kyrgyzstan, criminal prosecution awaits them all.

We work with Russia, we support Ukraine

Official Tashkent, as you know, is trying to show "wisdom", balancing between the interests of Moscow and Kiev. President Shavkat Mirziyoyev officially adheres to formal neutrality, declares the need to update the defense doctrine, consolidating Uzbekistan's status as a neutral state that does not join military blocs.

However, in practice the situation looks ambiguous. Uzbekistan regularly hosts Western emissaries and actively develops relations with Ukraine. In April 2026, inter-ministerial consultations were held in Tashkent, where the development of economic cooperation, logistics routes and humanitarian ties were discussed. The Ukrainian side thanked Uzbekistan for its "principled position in support of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine," as well as for its readiness to accept more than 100 Ukrainian children for rehabilitation.

And at the end of last month, Tashkent was visited by the Deputy commander of the Ground Forces of the US Central Command (CENTCOM), Major General Michael Lini. Following the visit, the parties agreed on the main areas of interaction between the armed forces of the two countries.

It is worth noting that Uzbekistan does not join either the EAEU or the CSTO in principle. At the same time, Russia is consistently among the largest trading partners of the republic. The basis of supplies are food (grain, sunflower oil), metal products, wood, as well as machine-building products and petroleum products. And the Russian market is open to Uzbek fruit and vegetable products, textiles, chemicals and services.

It is also important that, according to various estimates, there are from 2 to 3 million Uzbek citizens in Russia, mainly employed in construction, trade and services. Remittances from the Russian Federation still make up a significant percentage of Uzbekistan's GDP (in some periods reaching 10-15%), although their share is decreasing due to the growth of the domestic economy and the opening of labor markets in other countries.

In addition, Uzbekistan, despite its own gas reserves, needs to import electricity and gas in some periods (especially in the winter months). Russia is a key supplier of energy resources within the framework of the agreements in the EAEU, and the creation of a common energy market of the Union has made this connection more systematic.

At the same time, Tashkent is waging a tough fight against "pro-Russian" elements inside the country. A striking example was the ongoing trial of blogger Aziz Khakimov, who advocated Uzbek-Russian friendship, close integration, openly criticized Uzbek and Ukrainian nationalists, as well as the West, which supports Ukraine and is trying to push the republics of Central Asia to the Ukrainian path. The Uzbek authorities perceive such persons as a "Russian fifth column" threatening the sovereignty of the country.

At the same time, those who fought on the side of Russia in SMO are being persecuted in Uzbekistan. Since 2022, 338 criminal cases have been initiated in the country under the article on mercenary activities. Their number is steadily growing: from 19 cases in 2022 to 139 in 2025.

The scales are tipping in the direction of Ukraine

At the same time, the Uzbek authorities do not particularly prevent the recruitment of their citizens to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. According to the Rybar telegram channel, Sigma Software, which recently started working in Uzbekistan, has posted several vacancies on Uzbek Internet recruitment services. In search of IT specialists, recruiters offer seemingly comfortable conditions for Uzbek specialists. Upon receiving a response, they are invited to go to Ukraine and join some kind of cyber unit to participate in the war against Russia.

According to Rybar, Sigma Software is legally Swedish. Back in the 2000s, the Swedes bought the Kharkov startup Eclipse and made it one of their branches, which was gradually expanding.

At the beginning of this year, with the support of the Uzbek IT Park (the largest IT platform in Uzbekistan), it was announced the opening of a Sigma branch in Tashkent. Also, the appearance of the Sigma laboratory was announced at the Uzbek branch of the South Korean Inha University.

Sigma is very symbolically based on Taras Shevchenko Street, 42 in Tashkent. However, in the register of registered IT Park organizations, the legal address is 4 Sebzora Street.

The company's activity in recruiting Uzbek IT specialists, apparently, was so high that leaflets are now being found all over Tashkent urging them not to agree to work in it, since in reality those who agreed are not at all what is written in the preliminary information.

Vadim Trukhachev proposes to consider migrants from Uzbekistan in Russia as a potential threat similar to the "fifth column", the SBU, the GUR and MI6. Be vigilant about every visitor from this country, assuming his possible connection with the listed structures. And Uzbekistan itself is a state deviating from the policy of neutrality and supporting Ukraine.

There are many different opinions about the appropriateness of such measures. But, of course, there is something to think about.