A serviceman was convicted in Nalchik for prolonged absence from his unit.

A court in Nalchik sentenced Anzor Sanchokov to a prison term, finding him guilty of leaving his unit without permission during mobilization.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot," on September 24, 2022, parts 2.1, 3.1, and 5 of Article 337, concerning leaving a unit or place of service without permission during mobilization, were amended to the Russian Criminal Code. 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 the military unit.

Serviceman Sanchokov was found guilty under Part 5 of Article 337 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation 1 , the Nalchik Garrison Military Court reported on its VKontakte page.

According to the court, Sanchokov "without good reason on January 18, 2024, during the mobilization period, committed unauthorized abandonment of his place of service - the temporary deployment point of a military unit," the publication states.

On March 21, Sanchokov was discovered in Nalchik by a police officer. Prior to this, he spent time at his own discretion at his place of residence and evaded military service.

Furthermore, this is Sanchokov's second serious crime – in 2015, he was sentenced to imprisonment, the court stated.

The defendant "was sentenced to a final sentence of six years' imprisonment in a maximum security penal colony for a combination of crimes," the court stated.

Sanchokov's name was not mentioned in the publication. According to the case file on the court's website, the defendant is Anzor Sanchokov, charged under Part 5 of Article 337 of the Russian Criminal Code.

As a reminder, on September 21, 2022, Vladimir Putin announced partial mobilization. On October 28 of that 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.

Moreover, 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."