A soldier was convicted in Nalchik for two counts of draft evasion.

The court sentenced Damir Gasanov to five and a half years in prison for failing to report to his unit and then leaving his duty station without permission two months later.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot," on September 4, 2022, Parts 2.1, 3.1, and 5 of Article 337, concerning unauthorized leaving of a unit or duty station during mobilization, were amended 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 and desertion.

A serviceman named Gasanov was found guilty of failing to report for duty and leaving his unit without leave during mobilization 1 , the Nalchik Garrison Military Court reported on its VKontakte page.

08:14 28.03.2026

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According to the court, Gasanov failed to report to his military unit at the appointed time on April 22, 2025, without good reason, and on July 7 of the same year, he left his military unit in Krasnodar Krai without permission.

"On May 12, 2025, Gasanov was found by a police officer in Gelendzhik, Krasnodar Krai, and on February 6, 2026, he was found by a police officer in the village of Yantarny, Prokhladnensky District. From April 22 to May 12, 2025, and from July 7, 2025 to February 6, 2026, Gasanov spent time at his own discretion in Krasnodar Krai and Kabardino-Balkaria, respectively," the publication states.

The serviceman was sentenced to five years for the combined offenses and Six months in a general regime penal colony. "The convict was taken into custody in the courtroom and placed in a pretrial detention facility," the publication notes.

The court's press service did not provide the convict's name. According to the case file on the court's website, the accused is Damir Gasanov. The case was received by the court on April 16, and Judge Lazarev delivered the sentence.

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, a 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."