A soldier in Kabardino-Balkaria was convicted of leaving his unit twice.

A court in Nalchik sentenced Mukhamed Bavokov to six years in prison, finding him guilty of evading military service during mobilization.

As reported by "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 after the announcement of mobilization led to harsher sentences for absence from a military unit and desertion.

23:48 04.01.2023

Mobilization has deprived contract soldiers from southern Russia of the opportunity to resign.

Garrison courts in southern Russia are refusing to grant claims from service members seeking dismissal due to the expiration of their contracts, citing the mobilization decree.

Serviceman Bavokov was found guilty under Part 5 of Article 337 of the Russian Criminal Code 1 , the Nalchik Garrison Military Court announced on its VKontakte page.

According to the court, on October 30, 2023, and March 13, 2025, "that is, in both cases during mobilization," Bavokov left his duty station without authorization in the first instance, and his military unit in North Ossetia in the second, without valid reason. On both occasions, he went home and remained there until February 14, 2025, in the first case, and until March 15, 2025, in the second.

In the first case, Bavokov voluntarily reported to a military unit in Vladikavkaz, and in the second, he reported to the police department in the Urvansky District of Kabardino-Balkaria. The court sentenced Bavokov to six years in a general regime penal colony, according to the court's publication.

The court's press service did not disclose the defendant's name, but it is listed in the case file on the court's website, where the defendant is listed as Mukhamed Bavokov. His case was submitted to the court on November 11, and the verdict was handed down on November 18.

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, a 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."