A serviceman from Kabardino-Balkaria was convicted of deserting his unit again.

A military court in Nalchik sentenced Astemir Kosheev to four years in prison, finding him guilty of leaving his unit without leave during mobilization. He had previously received a suspended sentence under the same charge.

As reported by Kavkazsky Knot, on September 24, 2022, Parts 2.1, 3.1, and 5 of Article 337, concerning leaving a unit or place of service without leave during mobilization, were added to 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 10, a serviceman named Kosheev was found guilty under Part 3.1 of Article 337 of the Russian Criminal Code (which carries a sentence of up to seven years in prison), the Nalchik Garrison Military Court reported on its VKontakte page.

According to the court, Kosheev left his duty station in Mozdok without good reason on December 4, 2025, "during mobilization." From that day until December 22, he "spended his time at his own discretion at his place of residence," and on December 22, he voluntarily reported to the military investigative department in Nalchik, the publication states.

In November 2025, the defendant was convicted under the same article and sentenced to two years' suspended imprisonment with a two-year probationary period.

In court, Kosheev fully admitted his guilt. "The defendant was sentenced to a final punishment for the combined sentences of four years' imprisonment in a general regime penal colony," the statement noted.

The court's press service did not provide the name of the convicted man. According to the case file on the court's website, the defendant is Astemir Kosheev. The case was submitted to the court on March 2, and the verdict was rendered at the hearing on March 10.

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. Legal experts 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 "a partial mobilization was declared in the Russian Federation, which was not completed at the time the crime was committed."