A soldier was convicted in Kabardino-Balkaria for leaving his unit.

A military court in Nalchik sentenced Stanislav Pogorelov to a prison term, finding him guilty of evading military service during mobilization.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot," on September 24, 2022, parts 2.1, 3.1, and 5 of Article 337, concerning unauthorized abandonment of a unit or place of service during mobilization, were introduced into 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 a military unit.

Serviceman Pogorelov 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, Pogorelov "on August 23, 2024, during the mobilization period," without good reason, failed to report for duty at a military unit in Mozdok.

"On July 29, 2025, Pogorelov was found in the village of Komarovo, Mozdok District, Republic of North Ossetia-Alania, by those searching for him "Pogorelov evaded military service as a police officer, and from August 23, 2024, to July 29, 2025, he spent his time at his own discretion," the publication states.

In court, Pogorelov pleaded guilty. "It has been established that Pogorelov was convicted by the verdict of the Nalchik Garrison Military Court of August 12, 2025, which entered into force on August 28, 2025, under Part 5 of Article 337 of the Russian Criminal Code to imprisonment for five years in a general regime penal colony, for which the conviction has not been expunged or expunged. Therefore, taking into account the factual circumstances of the case and the personal information about the defendant Pogorelov, the defendant has been sentenced to a final sentence for multiple offenses in the form of imprisonment for seven years in a general regime penal colony," the court stated.

The court's press service did not provide the name of the convicted person. According to the case file on the court's website, updated on October 25, the defendant is Stanislav Pogorelov. The case was referred to the judge on October 15, and a verdict was rendered at the first hearing on October 23.

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

Moreover, on December 12, 2023, the Maykop military court, in its verdict against a mobilized soldier who left his unit in June 2023, emphasized that "partial mobilization was declared in the Russian Federation, which was not completed at the time the crime was committed."