Alexander Sivyakov, convicted on Sychov's case, is at large

The former junior sergeant Alexander Sivyakov, who was convicted to four years of imprisonment for mockeries during his military service in the Chelyabinsk garrison over private soldier Andrei Sychov, recruited from Novocherkassk, Rostov Region, has been set free. Andrei Sychov's family believes that Sivyakov was too leniently punished.

The "Caucasian Knot" reported that Sychov received heavy mutilations during his service at the Chelyabinsk Tank School. On the night of January 1, 2006, Sivyakov, being in the state of alcoholic intoxication, forced the private soldier to stay for three hours in the crouch posture and beat his legs. The victim had positional squeezing of lower extremities and genitals. As a result, he had gangrenous inflammation, and his legs were amputated.

The Chelyabinsk Garrison Military Court sentenced Sivyakov to four years of imprisonment in a minimum security colony. The defendant was deprived of the rank of junior sergeant; he was banned from being a commander in armed forces for three more years. Sivyakov's colleagues Pavel Kuzmenko and Gennady Bilimovich were awarded conditional terms. At the trial, Sivyakov refused to plead guilty.

Andrei Sychov's family, which in 2006 did not insist on tougher punishment for Alexander Sivyakov and recalled the cassation complaint, all the same believes that the junior sergeant of the Chelyabinsk Tank Institute could have been punished stronger. Marina Muffert, Andrei's sister, said about it to the "Dostup" (Access) News Agency.