Nalchanin convicted of unauthorized abandonment of military unit

The court sentenced a serviceman from Nalchik, Valery Grebenyuk, to six years in prison, finding him guilty of unauthorized abandonment of his 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.

A serviceman named Grebenyuk was found guilty under Part 5 of Article 337 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation 1, the Nalchik Garrison Military Court reports on its VKontakte page.

Mobilization deprived contract soldiers from the south of Russia of the opportunity to resign

According to the court, Grebenyuk left the military unit without good reason on January 13, 2024, and was only found "at his place of residence in Nalchik" by employees on February 28, 2025 police.

"From January 13, 2024 to February 28, 2025, he spent his time at his own discretion and evaded military service. At the court hearing, Grebenyuk fully admitted his guilt in committing the crime charged to him," the publication says.

The serviceman was sentenced to six years in a maximum security penal colony. "The convict was taken into custody in the courtroom," the court reported.

The defendant's name was not mentioned in the publication. According to the case card on the court's website, the defendant is Valery Grebenyuk. The case was transferred to the judge on August 26, and a verdict was handed down at the very first hearing on September 3.

Recall that on September 21, 2022, Vladimir Putin announced 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."