Senior sailor from Odesa region sentenced to 5 years in prison

A soldier from Odesa region left his unit in the middle of his duties. According to him, this happened because of an alleged attack, after which he did not return to duty for a long time.

This is stated in the verdict of the Bilyaevsky District Court of Odesa Oblast.

The court sentenced the serviceman to five years in prison for leaving the service without permission and not returning to the unit for almost a year and a half. According to the investigation, the man is a mobilized senior sailor from the Berezovsky district.

In November 2022, he left the positions of his unit, which was performing combat missions at the time, and disappeared. Until June 2024, the soldier lived at home and did not report himself to the command or law enforcement.

The accused pleaded guilty in court. He said that he had allegedly been the victim of an attack, was hospitalized in Odesa, and then returned home because of the attacks, which, according to him, continued.

The court checked the medical documents and found that the man was not registered with a psychiatric or drug treatment center, and the medical data confirmed only an alcohol dependence syndrome.

The prosecutor asked for five years in prison. The defense lawyer wanted the court to impose a suspended sentence. But the court refused: under current law, suspended sentences are not allowed during martial law for unauthorized abandonment of service.

The judge took into account that the defendant sincerely repented and there were no aggravating circumstances. However, due to the gravity of the offense, he imposed the minimum term provided for by law - five years in prison. No measure of restraint was imposed on the man until the verdict enters into force. The sentence will start from the moment of his arrest. The verdict can be appealed in the Court of Appeal within 30 days.

In early November, former military commissar Yevhen Borysov was released on bail in Odesa in a case of unauthorized abandonment of service. In total, more than 100 million has already been paid for him in various criminal proceedings.

Анна Бальчінос