Russian officers sentenced by Moscow court for 'failing to repel AFU attack'

Russia has handed down its first sentence for "failure to repel an attack by the Ukrainian armed forces". Two Russian officers were given four years in prison each. This was reported by the Russian newspaper Kommersant.

the 2nd Western District Military Court (Moscow) considered the criminal case against Lieutenant Colonel Anatoly Bondarev and Major Dmitriy Dmitrakov in a mode closed to the media," the report says.

The officers were accused of committing an offence under part 2 of article 340 of the Russian Criminal Code (violation of the rules of combat duty to repel a surprise attack on the territory of the Russian Federation).

The judge found Anatoly Bondarev and Dmitri Dmitrakov guilty, but did not apply the full sanctions of the article to them. According to the sources of the newspaper, the defendants received four years in a strict regime colony instead of the ten-year imprisonment provided for by the article.

It is noted that the Russian military have already served more than a year and a half of the term, being under investigation and trial, and therefore may soon qualify for parole.

The defendants managed not only to avoid the maximum term, but also the punishment of deprivation of officer ranks. Thus, having served their sentence or having been released early, they may well return to the armed forces of the Russian Federation.

The attack of the AFU took place in April 2022. Then from the Kharkiv region, a missile strike was made on the ammunition depot and equipment located near the village of Staraya Nelidovka in the Belgorod region of the Russian Federation.

As a result of the explosions and fire, 7 Russian occupiers were killed and 43 others were wounded. Fifteen pieces of equipment were completely destroyed and another three dozen were seriously damaged.