The Krasnoyarsk Garrison Military Court sentenced Private Denis Semenov to five years in a penal colony in the case of unauthorized abandonment of his unit for more than a month during the period of mobilization. The press service of the court reported this.
According to the case materials (part 5 of Article 337 of the Criminal Code), Semenov was sent to serve in one of the military units in the southern region of Russia, but the private, “being dissatisfied with the command” and “wanting a break from service,” went to Rostov-on-Don, then to Sochi, and from there I flew home to Krasnoyarsk.
At the end of May, the serviceman himself came to the military commandant’s office. Semenov was sentenced on October 17. The press service did not specify whether he served by conscription or under a contract.
The day before, the Krasnoyarsk Garrison Military Court sentenced private Roman Nikolaev, who served in the South of Russia, to five years in a penal colony, according to that same article.
The press service of the court announced the verdict to Nikolaev, using the same wording: “In April 2023, Nikolaev, being dissatisfied with the command of his military unit, and also wanting to take a break from service and spend time with his family, left for the cities of Rostov-on-Don, to Sochi, from where he flew by plane to the city of Krasnoyarsk.”
Do not come > refuse > escape. A year of mobilization in courts and sentences
According to the court, Nikolaev, like Semenov, came to the commandant’s office in Krasnoyarsk in May, after which a criminal case was opened against him. The press service added that when sentencing both privates, the court took into account the presence of mitigating circumstances. In the case of Nikolaev, this circumstance was the medal “For Military Distinctions”.
Also in October, the press service of the Krasnoyarsk Garrison Military Court reported on the verdict of private Viktor Novoselov, who served in the Kemerovo region. He was sentenced to seven years in a maximum security colony on charges of leaving his unit without permission. The decision was announced on September 29.
In October 2022, the serviceman was given a day off, but he did not return to his unit and went to Krasnoyarsk, where “he was not at his place of residence, so as not to be detected by law enforcement officers,” the case file says. He contacted the military commandant’s office in February 2023.
According to the court file, in October, at least seven military personnel were sentenced under Part 5 of Article 337 of the Criminal Code.
In total, according to Mediazona’s calculations, in 2022, more than three thousand cases of unauthorized abandonment of a unit during the period of mobilization were received by the courts. More than half of the sentences on them are suspended, so that the convict can be sent back to the front.
Term — AWOL — condition — death. A 19-year-old Omsk resident died in Ukraine; after the verdict, he was again sent to the front.