A military court in Russias Far East has handed down the countrys first prison sentence for voluntary surrender to the Ukrainian army, the Kommersant business newspaper reported Tuesday, citing a source familiar with the case.Junior Sergeant Roman Ivanishin was stripped of his rank and found guilty of desertion and two attempts to surrender.Kommersant previously reported that Ivanishin was captured in eastern Ukraine in June 2023 and returned to Russia in January 2024 as part of a prisoner exchange broked by the United Arab Emirates.Following his return, he was sent to his motorized infantry brigades base in the Sakhalin region, where he was placed under arrest.Ivanishins trial, which began March 17, was held behind closed doors and little information about the case has been made public.On Monday, a military court in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk sentenced Ivanishin to 15 years in prison, Kommersant reported.
Prosecutors had requested a 16-year sentence.Ivanishin pleaded not guilty.Russia passed legislation in late 2022 that toughened penalties for voluntary surrender, desertion and refusal to serve.
Wartime conditions, mobilization and martial law are considered aggravating factors, allowing for harsher sentences.President Vladimir Putin announced a partial troop mobilization in September 2022, several months into the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
It has not been formally lifted.