Four military servicemen convicted in Southern Russia for evading service

The Makhachkala Military Court has sentenced two military servicemen to 5 and 5.5 years in colony accordingly for being absent from their military unit for more than a month. A similar court in Nalchik sentenced a soldier to a year in prison for a three-week absence from his service duty; and the Astrakhan Garrison Military Court imposed a suspended sentence on a contract soldier who had failed to show up for treatment at a sanatorium.

Bairamali Turlalov was sentenced by the Makhachkala Garrison Court to five years in colony for being absent from his unit for more than a month, the "Kavkaz.Realii"* project reports. The defence insisted on mitigating the sentence, noting that Turlalov was ready to continue serving in the special military operation (SMO) zone in Ukraine, but the court found no grounds for this.

The District Military Court has also upheld the sentence passed by the Makhachkala Military Court to Osman Tokaev, a native of Dagestan, who was sentenced to 5.5 years in prison for being absent from his unit for more than a month. The court took into account the fact that Tokaev himself returned to his unit, "fully admitted his guilt and repented, has a positive characteristic for his service, helps his relatives and took part in the SMO" and his parents' state of health.

The Nalchik Garrison Military Court has sentenced Khachim Zagashtokov to a year in colony for being absent from his unit from April 3 to April 24 – he spent this time with his family. As mitigating circumstances, the court in Kabardino-Balkaria took into account his young children and a non-working wife, and the fact that Khachim grew up without a father.

The Astrakhan Garrison Military Court has sentenced Murat Bisembaev to a suspended sentence of one year. The soldier was wounded and was treated in hospital. When he was later sent to a sanatorium, he failed to go there, but joined his family, and after completing rehabilitation he failed to arrive at his military unit on time.

*Included by the Russian Ministry of Justice (MoJ) into the register of foreign agents.