A soldier was convicted in Kabardino-Balkaria for leaving his unit without permission.

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The Nalchik Garrison Military Court sentenced serviceman Yevgeny Solovyov to five years in prison for failing to report to his military unit for over a year.

As reported by the Caucasian Knot, on September 24, 2022, Parts 2.1, 3.1, and 5 of Article 337, concerning unauthorized abandonment of a unit or place of service during mobilization, were introduced into the Russian Criminal Code. The amendments provide for imprisonment for up to 10 years. Tighter legislation following the announcement of mobilization led to harsher sentences for absence from a military unit or desertion.

The Nalchik Garrison Military Court sentenced a serviceman named Solovyov, finding him guilty of committing a crime under Part 5 of Article 337 of the Russian Criminal Code, the court's press service reported on June 9 on its VKontakte page.

According to investigators, Solovyov failed to report to his military unit on March 18 of last year without a valid excuse. On April 2 of this year, police officers found him in Nalchik, meaning he has been "spending time at his own discretion at his place of residence" for over a year.

In court, the serviceman allegedly acknowledged the illegality of his actions and expressed regret. The court sentenced him to five years in a penal colony.

The court's website reports that Yevgeny Solovyov's case was heard on June 1, and the verdict was handed down on June 9.

As a reminder, on September 21, 2022, Vladimir Putin announced partial mobilization. On October 28 of that year, the Minister of Defense reported to the president on its completion, but no corresponding decree followed. Lawyers have concluded that a presidential decree is not needed to end partial mobilization, Putin's press secretary explained.

Moreover, on December 12, 2023, the military court in Maykop, in its verdict against a mobilized soldier who left his unit in June 2023, emphasized that "a partial mobilization was declared in the Russian Federation, which was not completed at the time the crime was committed, .".