18:57, 21 July 2026

The serviceman was convicted in Nalchik for leaving service for five months.

The Nalchik garrison military court sentenced serviceman Ahmed Apajev to five years in a penal colony for desertion during mobilization.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot", on September 24, 2022, parts 2.1, 3.1, and 5 of Article 337 on desertion during mobilization were introduced into the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. The amendments provide for imprisonment for up to 10 years. The tightening of legislation after the announcement of mobilization led to harsher sentences for absence from military units or desertion.

On September 21, 2022, Vladimir Putin announced partial mobilization. On October 28 of the same year, the Minister of Defense reported to the president about its completion, but no corresponding decree followed. Lawyers concluded that a presidential decree is not needed to complete partial mobilization, explained Putin's press secretary. At the same time, on December 12, 2023, a military court in Maykop emphasized in the sentence of a mobilized individual who left the unit in June 2023 that "partial mobilization has been declared in the Russian Federation, which was not completed at the time the crime was committed."

Apajev was charged with desertion lasting more than one month during mobilization (part 5 of Article 337 of the Criminal Code of Russia). This article provides for imprisonment from five to ten years.

According to the prosecution's version, on November 6, 2025, Apajev unlawfully left the temporary deployment point of his military unit. On April 13, 2026, he voluntarily appeared at the military commandant's office in Mozdok. All the time between these dates - more than five months - he, as the court indicated, "spent time at his discretion, including at his place of residence."

In determining the sentence, the court took into account that Apajev admitted his guilt and expressed regret for his actions. At the same time, his act was classified as a serious crime against military service, "negatively affecting the performance of daily combat training tasks," the press service of the Nalchik garrison military court reported today on its official page on VKontakte.

Apajev was sentenced to five years of imprisonment in a general regime colony. The sentence has not yet entered into legal force. The "Caucasian Knot" currently has no comments from the convicted person or his lawyer regarding plans to appeal the sentence.

The court's message only mentions the last name of the convicted person; in the registry of the Nalchik garrison military court, the accused is listed as Ahmed Apajev. The case was submitted to the court on July 14 and was considered today in a closed session. The reasons for the closed hearing are not provided in the registry.

"Caucasian Knot" also reported that earlier the court in Nalchik sentenced serviceman Timur Nasypliyev to 5.5 years in a colony for two absences from service during mobilization.

Translated automatically via OpenAI from https://www.kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/425108