Shavkat Yuldoshev traveled to Russia in December 2019 for work. While in Moscow, he was involved in the buying and selling of narcotics and was apprehended by law enforcement.
In September 2021, the Obninsk City Court of the Kaluga region found him guilty under article 228-1, part "a, g", clause 4 of the Russian Federation Criminal Code, and sentenced him to 7 years in prison.
During his imprisonment, Yuldoshev was recruited by Russian military personnel and served in the Wagner private company from October 2022 to April 22, 2023. For this service, he was released from the remainder of his sentence and received a monetary reward of 950,000 rubles and the "For Bravery" medal from the Russian Federation.
Upon returning to Uzbekistan in August 2023, having failed to obtain Russian citizenship, he was placed under investigation.
On May 30 of this year, the Okhangaron District Court for criminal cases found Yuldoshev guilty of committing the crime specified in part 1, article 154 of the Criminal Code of Uzbekistan and sentenced him to 2 years and 6 months of corrective labor.
In court, Yuldoshev testified that he had been in the Luhansk region of Ukraine, participating in the construction of military fortifications (bunkers), and that he had not participated in Wagner's military operations.