A soldier was convicted in Nalchik for repeatedly leaving his place of service.

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The Nalchik Garrison Military Court sentenced serviceman Vitaly Turovsky, who three times left his military unit for long periods, to seven years in prison.

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 Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. 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 and desertion.

A serviceman named Turovsky was convicted in Nalchik of unauthorized absence from his unit, the press service of the Nalchik Garrison Military Court reported on its VKontakte page on April 11.

The court found that Turovsky failed to report for duty at military units stationed in the Samara Region and North Ossetia three times on September 17, 2024, September 15, 2025, and December 22, 2025. On all occasions, he lived and worked in Kabardino-Balkaria until August 13, 2025, November 5, 2025, and March 22, 2026, respectively. In each case, he was detained by police.

In court, Turovsky admitted his guilt and stated that he regretted his actions. The court sentenced him to seven years in a general regime penal colony.

The court's website states that Vitaly Turovsky's case was submitted to the court on April 3.

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, .".