00:57, 5 August 2026

The serviceman was convicted in Kabardino-Balkaria for failing to report to his unit.

The court in Nalchik sentenced Kazimir Chotchaev to five years in prison, finding him guilty of being absent from service for more than one month.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot", on September 24, 2022, parts 2.1, 3.1, and 5 of Article 337 on desertion or leaving a 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. The tightening of legislation after the announcement of mobilization led to harsher sentences for absence from military units or desertion.

On September 21, 2022, Vladimir Putin announced partial mobilization. On October 28 of the same year, the Minister of Defense reported to the president about its completion, but no corresponding decree followed. Lawyers concluded that a presidential decree is not needed to complete partial mobilization, explained Putin's press secretary. At the same time, on December 12, 2023, a military court in Maykop emphasized in the sentence of a mobilized individual who left his unit in June 2023 that "partial mobilization has been declared in the Russian Federation, which was not completed at the time the crime was committed."

According to the case materials, serviceman Kazimir Chotchaev did not report to his military unit in Ingushetia at the appointed time on October 28, 2025, that is, "during the period of mobilization," the court's press service reported on its page on "VKontakte".

On December 15 of the same year, Chotchaev voluntarily arrived at the military unit, and from October 28 to December 15, he spent time at his discretion at his place of residence.

The Nalchik garrison military court found Kazimir Chotchaev guilty of being absent from service for more than one month and sentenced him to five years in prison.

The court's press service does not name the convicted individual, however, according to the criminal case card on the court's website, the convicted serviceman is Kazimir Chotchaev. The case was submitted to the court on July 27, and on August 4, Judge Pyatov issued a guilty verdict.

"Caucasian Knot" also reported that the court in Nalchik sentenced a contract serviceman, Garnik Martirosyan, to one year and two months in prison, finding him guilty of being absent from service for more than ten days.

Translated automatically via OpenAI from https://www.kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/425490