14:08, 8 February 2024

Contract soldier convicted in Makhachkala for refusing to take part in hostilities

The Makhachkala Garrison Military Court. Photo from the website http://mgvs.dag.sudrf.ru/

The Makhachkala Garrison Military Court has sentenced Akhmed Kurbanov, a contract soldier, to two years in penal colony, finding him guilty of refusing to take part in the special military operation (SMO) in Ukraine. The judge has treated the defendant's argument that his contract expired in 2022 as unconvincing.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that the punishment for failure to comply with an order given "during the martial law, in wartime, or in conditions of armed conflict or hostilities" ranges from 2 to 10 years in prison. The relevant parts of the article of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation were introduced on September 24, 2022, after the announcement of the partial mobilization. Under this article, in particular, a court in Volgograd sentenced Vyacheslav Pikalov, a contract soldier, to two years in penal colony.

According to the above Military Court, on July 4, 2023, Akhmed Kurbanov received an order to go to the SMO, but refused to do that, "referring to his health condition, expiration of his military service contract, and his mother's need for his help." Kurbanov's contract expired on November 30, 2022.

After the announcement of the partial mobilization, militaries cannot terminate their service contracts until expiration dates, but it is unknown for what period it was announced, lawyers and human rights defenders said in September 2022.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on February 7, 2024 at 11:02 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.

Source: Caucasian Knot