Contract soldier from Kuban sentenced to imprisonment for leaving his military unit without permission

A military court sentenced a contract soldier from Kuban to three years of imprisonment in a penal colony, finding him guilty of evading military service.

The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that the tightening of the Russian legislation after the announcement of mobilization resulted in more severe sentences for absence from a military unit or desertion, human rights defenders noted.

In Krasnodar, a garrison court sentenced Leonid Antonovsky to three years of imprisonment in a penal colony, finding him guilty of evading military service. Leonid Antonovsky was also stripped of the rank of Senior Sergeant, the “Kavkaz.Realii”* reports.

According to the court’s version, Leonid Antonovsky was absent from his military unit twice without good reason from August to October 2023, when he “wanted to have a rest.” The court recognized the man’s participation in the special military operation (SMO) in Ukraine, his status as a combat veteran and his two minor children as mitigating circumstances.

“During his absence from service, Leonid Antonovsky was not ill with anything, he underwent no medical treatment. He did not have any reasons to be absent from military service, he did not have difficult life circumstances. Leonid Antonovsky admits his guilt and repents of his actions,” the court’s verdict states.

*Included by the Russian Ministry of Justice (MoJ) into the register of foreign agents.