More than 4,000 citizens of Uzbekistan have reportedly been recruited for service in the armed forces of Russia.

The initiative says it has identified a total of 12,666 individuals from Central Asia who signed contracts with Russia’s Defense Ministry and have taken part in or been involved in military operations, The Caspian Post reports via Uzbek media.

Breakdown by country includes:

Uzbekistan - 4,853 individuals

Tajikistan - 3,407

Kazakhstan - 2,389

Kyrgyzstan - 1,439

Turkmenistan - 578

The number of identified individuals has more than doubled compared to data released in spring-summer 2025, when around 5,700 names were published.

The project also claims that citizens of Uzbekistan make up the largest share of foreign prisoners of war currently held in Ukraine.