In Kherson, a man was sentenced to 3 years for failing to appear when summoned

The Kherson City Court found a man guilty of evading conscription during mobilization after he failed to report to the military registration and enlistment office at the time specified in his summons. The court sentenced him to three years in prison.

As established by the court, in February 2025, the man underwent a military medical examination and was deemed fit for military service. On February 12, he received a summons requiring him to report to the Military Registration and Enlistment Office at 8:00 a.m. the following day for subsequent deployment to a military unit. However, he failed to appear as summoned.

The man did not, in fact, admit guilt. He explained that at that time he was living in Antonivka, where Russian shelling was taking place on February 13, and there was no transportation connection to Kherson. According to him, he went to the Military Registration and Enlistment Office the next day, but they refused to enlist him. Later, he allegedly applied multiple times, expressing his desire to serve.

The defense also submitted documents from the Kherson City Council and the Kherson Regional Military Administration confirming that on February 13, 2025, two shelling incidents were recorded in Antonivka, and public transportation between Kherson and the village had been suspended.

However, the court did not consider these circumstances sufficient grounds for his failure to appear. The verdict states that the mere fact of hostilities or shelling in a particular area does not in itself prove that it was impossible for a specific individual to comply with the summons.

Furthermore, the court found no objective evidence that the man was actually in Antonivka at the time he was supposed to appear.

The court also took into account that the man personally received the summons and signed a receipt confirming its receipt. As of February 17, the Territorial Recruitment Center had notified the police that he had failed to appear when summoned and had not provided any explanation for his failure to appear.

Consequently, the court concluded that the man had intentionally evaded conscription and found him guilty under Article 336 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

He was sentenced to three years in prison. This sentence was also finalized taking into account a previous ruling by the Kherson City Court dated September 16, 2025.

At the same time, the court took into account that, after committing the offense, the man applied to the Territorial Military Commissariat in February 2026, expressing his desire to perform military service. However, this did not alter the court’s conclusion, since, in its assessment, the crime was completed at the moment he failed to appear in response to the summons on February 13, 2025.

Андрій Колісніченко