According to a report based on a source informed by the Russian newspaper Kommersant, a military court in Russia’s Far East has issued the country’s first imprisonment sentence for the crime of voluntarily surrendering to the Ukrainian army.

Sergeant Roman Ivanishin had his rank stripped off and was found guilty of desertion and attempting to surrender twice.

Previously, Kommersant had reported that Ivanishin was captured in eastern Ukraine in June 2023 and was returned to Russia in January 2024 as part of a prisoner swap mediated by the United Arab Emirates.

After his return, Ivanishin was sent to the base of a motorized infantry brigade in the Sakhalin region, where he was arrested.

Ivanishin’s trial, which began on March 17th, was held behind closed doors, with very little information about the case being disclosed to the public.

According to Kommersant, on Monday, a military court in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk sentenced Ivanishin to 15 years in prison. Prosecutors had demanded a 16-year prison sentence.

Ivanishin maintained his innocence.

LAW ENACTED IN 2022

In late 2022, Russia passed a law that toughened penalties for voluntary surrender, desertion, and refusal to serve.

Conditions of war, mobilization, and martial law are considered aggravating factors, allowing for harsher penalties to be imposed.

President Vladimir Putin declared a partial military mobilization in September 2022, just a few months after Ukraine’s full-scale invasion. This decision has not yet been formally lifted.