A soldier was convicted in Nalchik for abandoning his unit.

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The Nalchik Garrison Military Court sentenced serviceman Martin Geloev to five years in prison after he was absent from his military unit for over a year.

As reported by the 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. Tighter legislation following the announcement of mobilization led to harsher sentences for absence from a military unit or desertion.

On March 23, the Nalchik Garrison Military Court sentenced serviceman Geloyev, finding him guilty of committing a crime under Part 5 of Article 337 of the Russian Criminal Code 1 , the court's press service reported.

The indictment states that Geloyev failed to report for duty at his military unit on October 24, 2024, at the appointed time. On December 18, 2025, he voluntarily reported to the military pre-trial detention center in Nalchik. In court, the serviceman pleaded guilty. The court sentenced him to five years' imprisonment in a general regime penal colony.

The press service did not name the convicted man. The case file on the court's website indicates his name is Martin Geloyev. His case was submitted for consideration on March 3.

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