A Russian military court sentenced a 15-year prison soldier on Tuesday after condemning him for desertion and voluntary surrender to Ukraine, the first process of the type in Russia, the Kommersant newspaper said.
In September 2022, Russia introduced the crime of voluntary surrender, punishable by a penalty of three to 10 years in prison.
According to Kommersant, a court on the island of Sacalina, in the far east of the country, considered the Roman Soldier Ivanishin guilty of voluntary surrender, attempted voluntary surrender and desertion.
Ivanishin, who would have denied all charges, will serve the penalty in a maximum security unit.
The trial was made at closed doors.
The newspaper reported that the accused, a civilian miner in Sakhalin, described by local media as a veteran of Russia wars in Chechnya, was mobilized in 2022 and fought in the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine.
It was captured by Ukrainian soldiers in June 2023 and, in a video published on the Internet, was shown by denouncing AE asking other soldiers to desert.
It was not clear from the Kommersant report if he had spoken under coercion in the video.
The defense team would have sought the acquittal, claiming that there was no evidence that he had committed any crime.
Ivanishin was returned to Russia at a prisoners’ exchange in January 2024 and is under investigation, the newspaper said.
Understand the conflict between Russia and Ukraine
The conflict in Ukraine, which began with the large -scale Russian invasion in February 2022, continues to be marked by violence and civilian deaths.
Recently, two Russian ballistic missiles hit Sumy in northern Ukraine, killing 35 people and hurting 117. This was the deadliest attack in Ukraine this year.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky vehemently condemned the offensive and made a new appeal for more actions against Moscow. He also asked US President Donald Trump to visit Ukraine.
Zelensky expressed doubts about the US continuous support in the long run, although the US is a strategic partner.
The two leaders had a tense meeting at the Oval Hall this year, marked by a barbst exchange against the press.
The Ukrainian President asked the US to participate in an international peace effort, helping to protect Ukrainian airspace.
Russia denies target civilians, but thousands have been killed and injured since the beginning of the invasion.
Russians currently control about 20% of the Ukrainian territory in the east and south.
Ukraine is sharing information on alleged war crimes with international partners, and the International Criminal Court investigates the cases.
Under the Trump administration, the US surveyed conversations with Russian and Ukrainian representatives in an attempt to end the offensive.
Although ceasefire agreements have been announced, both parties continue to exchange attacks.
Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff met with Putin to discuss a peace agreement, but recent attacks have been showing a weakness of peace efforts and the continuity of conflict.
