Two servicemen are under arrest on charges of violating the rules of combat duty, which led to a «surprise attack» on Russia. This was reported by the joint press service of the courts of St. Petersburg.
Today, the St. Petersburg Garrison Military Court granted petitions to extend the detention of both soldiers in a pre-trial detention center. The first arrest will last until May 5, and the second — until July 2.
The application of this article after the start of the war in Ukraine was not previously known. The first case brought against an officer from the Belgorod region was reported today by the Kommersant newspaper, citing sources. The article assumes up to 10 years in prison (Part 2 of Article 340 of the Criminal Code).
The name was not mentioned in the article, but Mediazona found out in the files of military courts that the person in question was Dmitry Dmitrakov.
According to the investigation cited by Kommersant, in the spring of 2022, the officer did not organize sufficient cover with air defense systems, and as a result of a strike by the Ukrainian army on the Belgorod region, seven soldiers were killed. Another 43 were injured and shell-shocked, the damage to military equipment was estimated at 89 million rubles. Dmitrakov was arrested by a military judge in Kursk in May 2022.
The second defendant under the article on violating the rules of combat duty, judging by information from the court database, is Anatoly Bondarev. He was arrested in November in St. Petersburg. In addition, both Dmitrakov and Bondarev are accused of exceeding their powers (paragraph “c” of part 3 of article 286 of the Criminal Code). This article also assumes up to 10 years in prison.
The press service of the court did not disclose the details of the charges against the military, since the materials are classified. It follows from the press release that Dmitrakov and Bondarev are involved in the same criminal case. According to Kommersant, in the case of Dmitrakov, investigators from the 1st Department of the Military Directorate of the Investigative Committee for the Western Military District are investigating.