Two Russian officers given four years in prison for failing to repel surprise Ukrainian attack on Russian soil

Two Russian military officers, Lieutenant Colonel Anatoly Bondarev and Major Dmitry Dmitrakov, were sentenced by a military court to four years in prison for violating the rules of combat duty and failing to repel a surprise attack on Russian soil, reports Kommersant.

The case against Bondarev and Dmitrakov was initiated in Spring 2022 after a missile launched by the Ukrainian Armed Forces (AFU) hit an ammunition and equipment warehouse in Russia’s Belgorod region, killing seven Russian servicemen and injuring 43. The court did not strip the officers of their ranks, so they will be able to return to the army when released.

According to Kommersant, this is the first conviction for failing to repel a surprise AFU attack on Russian territory, but sources say it will be “far from the last.” Terrorism cases are opened for every missile or drone from Ukraine, and, if they are not shot down, a negligence case is opened.