A soldier was convicted in Nalchik for being absent from his unit.

A court in Nalchik sentenced serviceman Timur Babgoev to a lengthy prison term after he was absent from his unit for nine months.

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.

Russian Defense Ministry serviceman Babgoev was charged with two counts of evading military service during mobilization (Part 5 of Article 337 of the Criminal Code carries a sentence of five to ten years in prison).

According to the prosecution, on August 1, Babgoev voluntarily left the temporary deployment point of his military unit and went home, where he remained until October 15, 2025. A police officer found him at his place of residence. On October 17, Babgoev was required to report to his military unit, but remained home until early May. Only on May 6, 2026, the serviceman voluntarily presented himself to the military investigative department in Nalchik, the press service of the Nalchik Garrison Military Court reported.

In court, the defendant admitted his guilt and expressed regret for his actions. The court also took into account that Babgoev was sentenced in 2022 by the Nalchik City Court to a three-year suspended sentence with a three-year probationary period for drug trafficking. At the time of his release, the suspended sentence had not yet been served. As a result, the court sentenced him to seven years in a general regime penal colony.

The defendant was taken into custody in the courtroom and placed in a pre-trial detention facility, the press service noted.

The court's press service did not provide the defendant's last name; his full name, Timur Babgoev, is listed in the case file on the court's website. The case was received by the court on June 10, and the first hearing was held on June 18, resulting in the verdict.

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. Legal experts concluded that a presidential decree was not needed to end partial mobilization, Putin's press secretary explained.

Moreover, on December 12, 2023, the Maykop Military Court, 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."