Serviceman Convicted in Nalchik for Absence from Unit

A court in Nalchik sentenced serviceman Sabanchiev to a term in a penal colony, finding him guilty of unauthorized abandonment of a unit during mobilization.

As "Kavkazsky Uzel" wrote, on September 24, 2022, parts 2.1, 3.1 and 5 of Article 337 on unauthorized abandonment of a unit or 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. Tightening of laws after the announcement of mobilization led to harsher sentences for absence from a military unit.

On September 3, serviceman Sabanchiev was found guilty under Part 3.1 of Article 337 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation 1, the Nalchik Garrison Military Court reported today on its VKontakte page.

According to the court, on May 23, Sabanchiev failed to show up at his military unit in Stavropol without good reason, and only on June 11 did he voluntarily come to the military investigative department of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation in Nalchik, and "from May 23 to June 11, 2025, he spent his time at his own discretion at his place of residence."

"At the court hearing, Sabanchiev fully admitted his guilt in committing the crime charged to him," the report says.

The serviceman was sentenced to two years in a general regime penal colony. "The convict was taken into custody in the courtroom and placed in a pre-trial detention center," the publication notes.

Sabanchiev's name was not mentioned in the publication. The case file on the court's website, as of 12:58 Moscow time, is unavailable for viewing. "The information is temporarily unavailable. We apologize. Please try to contact us later or contact the court directly," the notice on the case file page says.

Recall that on September 21, 2022, Vladimir Putin announced a partial mobilization. On October 28 of the same year, the Minister of Defense reported to the President on its completion, but no corresponding decree followed. Lawyers have concluded that a presidential decree is not needed to end partial mobilization, Putin's press secretary explained.

At the same time, on December 12, 2023, the military court in Maykop, having sentenced mobilized Vladimir Litenkov to five years in prison for leaving his unit without permission in June 2023, emphasized that "a partial mobilization has been declared in the Russian Federation, which was not completed at the time Litenkov committed the crime."