Mobilized soldier arrested for beating his commander, who was also mobilized, to death

A Magnitogorsk military court jailed a mobilized soldier for two months. He is accused of committing violence against leadership in wartime, according to a press release from the court.

The incident took place on the evening of December 23, in compartment on a special military train car, in Misyash Station, in the Chelyabinsk region. A mobilized senior sergeant, who was drunk, attacked his commander, who had also been mobilized. The commander died of his injuries at the scene.

On the eve of mobilization in Russia, the State Duma approved a number of amendments to Russia’s criminal code, which toughen punishments for crimes committed “during a period of mobilization, martial law, or in wartime.” The amendments affected, in particular, the article about committing violence against military leadership. The maximum punishment for this crime, in cases when it resulted in serious consequences, was eight years in prison. Now the maximum punishment is 15 years.