The offer to a former orphan from Sochi to go to the North Military District worried his sister.

Orphanage resident Vladimir Korbakov received another prison sentence. He told his sister he was being offered a contract with the Ministry of Defense. His defense team claimed Korbakov declined the offer. Recidivism among former orphanage children is often caused by a lack of social adaptation, and they may perceive a contract as a solution to their problems, the human rights activist believes.

As "Caucasian Knot" reported, in November 2017, a court in Sochi found Vladimir Korbakov and Arsen Mnatsakanyan guilty of theft and sentenced Korbakov to three years and Mnatsakanyan to two and a half years in a maximum security penal colony.

44-year-old Vladimir Korbakov, who was convicted again on June 11, 2026, by the Central District Court of Sochi on a theft case, was offered a contract to be sent to the combat zone, but he subsequently refused the offer, his military-appointed lawyer Sayhan Vadaev told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

He wrote that he was offered a contract to go to the SVO if he wanted to be free.

The question of her older brother's possible dispatch to war worried his sister Angela. According to her According to Angela, a week ago she received an email from Vladimir from Pretrial Detention Center No. 1 in Krasnodar, in which he informed her that he would be unable to visit her in the Omsk region as they had agreed, as he had been detained in Sochi and again sentenced under Part 2 of Article 158 of the Russian Criminal Code to one year and eight months in prison.

"He wrote that he was offered a contract and sent to the Special Military District if he wanted to be released," Angela told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent. She said she doesn't yet know what her brother's decision was.

Angela said that her brother's life since leaving the orphanage has been spent primarily in prison.

"We both grew up without parents, in an orphanage. I started a family and have small children, but my heart aches for my older brother. I'm seven years younger than him. We keep in touch regularly, and he shares his problems with me. He was released in 2020 and then received a couple more short sentences. The second-to-last time was for violating administrative supervision duties. I don't yet know what exactly he was convicted of now," said Korbakov's younger sister.

Korbakov's story, according to his relative, is that of a man who, after leaving an orphanage, spent most of his adult life in prison. According to Angela, after each release, he was unable to secure a foothold in freedom.

His court-appointed attorney, Sayhan Vadaye, explained that his client received the minimum sentence thanks to the defense's stance.

"He received the minimum sentence thanks to the defense's efforts and was very pleased with it. There is no talk of any SVO. All other information is classified; I am not at liberty to disclose it. Contact him. One year and eight months is the minimum for a repeat offender." "It's not the state's fault, but vodka's. I don't think this is his final sentence," the lawyer said.

According to Vadaev, Korbakov doesn't intend to appeal the verdict.

"As I said, he received the minimum sentence and has no intention of appealing. He will now be held in pretrial detention until the verdict comes into force, then undergo quarantine and be sent to a general regime penal colony. Considering the time he spent in custody, he will be released relatively soon," the state-appointed defense attorney noted.

As of June 17, the text of Vladimir Korbakov's verdict has not been published on the website of the Central District Court of Sochi, although information about the case is available in the court's files. It follows that the case was heard by Judge Vadim Orekhov in a single court hearing.

The situation of orphanage graduates after graduation reveals systemic problems

Commenting on the situation, human rights activist Olga Filippova noted that Korbakov's story reflects the systemic problems faced by many orphanage graduates.

Instead of providing full rehabilitation and assistance, the state effectively limits itself to punitive mechanisms. As a result, a significant portion of these people's lives is spent between prison and temporary freedom.

"After leaving institutions, not all orphans receive the housing they are legally entitled to in a timely manner. Many spend years fighting for it through the courts. After being released from prison, people often face a lack of documents, registration, employment, and social support. Without family and stable social connections, they find themselves in an extremely vulnerable position. In such circumstances, people often return to their previous lifestyles and end up back in the criminal system. Instead of providing full rehabilitation and assistance, the state effectively limits itself to punitive measures. As a result, a significant portion of these people's lives is spent between prison and temporary freedom," she told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

The state does not adequately ensure the social adaptation of former orphanage residents, she noted. "Vladimir Korbakov's story shows that a person's long stay in the criminal system does not solve their problems. "Without housing, employment, medical, psychological, and social support, a relapse becomes not only a personal tragedy but also a societal problem," Olga Filippova believes.

Socially vulnerable people are the most vulnerable category for recruitment into contract military service, the human rights activist noted. "For someone without housing, a stable income, or prospects, the offer of freedom at the cost of participating in combat may be perceived as the only chance," Filippova emphasized.