In harshest desertion sentence yet, Russian court imprisons soldier for 10 years

Source: Mediazona

A military court in Yekaterinburg sentenced 37-year-old soldier Yevgeny Sandulsky to 10 years in prison on charges of desertion — the harshest-known punishment in a Russian desertion case so far. The trial concluded in late October, but journalists at Mediazona have only now uncovered the court records.

Prosecutors initially charged Sandulsky with four counts of unauthorized absence from his unit during his 18-month “holiday,” but officials later reclassified the charges to desertion, which carries a maximum penalty of 15 years.

Previously, Russia’s harshest-known desertion sentence was the nine years handed down to draftee Vladislav Yarullin for abandoning his post three times and assaulting someone.

Journalists at Mediazona studied Russian court records available as of the summer of 2024 and found 9,059 AWOL criminal cases, 627 cases for failure to obey orders, and 339 desertion cases.

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In harshest desertion sentence yet, Russian court imprisons soldier for 10 years

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