The serviceman was convicted in Nalchik for failing to report to his unit.

The court in Nalchik sentenced Khizir Gergov to seven years in a penal colony, finding him guilty of evading service during the mobilization period.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot", on September 24, 2022, parts 2.1, 3.1, and 5 of Article 337 on desertion or leaving the place of service 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.

Serviceman Gergov was found guilty of desertion (part 5 of Article 337 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation), the Nalchik garrison military court reported on its page on "VKontakte".

According to the court, Gergov did not report for duty at the designated time on June 1, 2026, to a military unit located in the Rostov region. Only on July 28 did Gergov voluntarily report to the military commandant's office in Mozdok (North Ossetia), and from June 1 to July 28, he spent his time at his place of residence at his discretion.

"At the court hearing, Gergov fully admitted his guilt in committing the crime attributed to him," the court's message states.

08:14 28.03.2026

The case of the contractor from Vladikavkaz highlighted the problem of violations of servicemen's rights

A resident of Vladikavkaz demanded the cancellation of the sentence for leaving the unit of her son, who was deemed fit for service despite having sustained a spinal injury at the training ground. Human rights activists called the practice of returning untreated soldiers to service systemic.

In 2025, Gergov already had a suspended sentence for the same article, at that time he was given five years in a penal colony conditionally. Now the conditional sentence has been revoked, and a total of seven years in a general regime correctional colony has been imposed based on the cumulative sentences.

The court does not name the convicted person, however, according to the criminal case card on the court's website, the serviceman is Khizir Gergov. The case was submitted to the court on August 31, and the sentence was pronounced on September 9.

Recall that 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, the press secretary of Putin explained.

At the same time, on December 12, 2023, the military court in Maykop emphasized in the sentence for a mobilized individual who left the unit in June 2023 that "a partial mobilization has been declared in the Russian Federation, which at the time of the crime was not completed".