For the first time in the Russian Federation, military personnel who failed to repel the aggression of the Ukrainian Armed Forces were punished

Two Russian Army officers were sentenced by the court for failing to repel a surprise attack on the territory of the Belgorod region by the Ukrainian Armed Forces. This was reported by a source familiar with the progress of the criminal case.

“The 2nd Western District Military Court (Moscow) considered, closed to the media, a criminal case against Lieutenant Colonel Anatoly Bondarev and Major Dmitry Dmitrakov. The military investigative department of the Investigative Committee for the Western Military District accused the officers of committing a crime under Part 2 of Art. 340 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (violation of the rules of combat duty to repel a surprise attack on the territory of the Russian Federation),” the source said “To the merchant.”

Both servicemen received four years in prison. The court rejected the request of the prosecutor’s office to deprive the rank of officer; accordingly, after serving the sentence or being released on parole, military personnel can return to serve in the Russian armed forces. The verdict can be appealed to a higher authority.

The investigation into the failure to repulse a surprise attack by the Ukrainian Armed Forces began after the attack in April 2022. URA.RU reported that the Ukrainian military launched an attack with Tochka-U missiles on an ammunition depot and equipment near the village of Staraya Nelidovka, Belgorod region. Then 7 servicemen were killed and 43 were wounded. The Ministry of Defense estimated the damage at 90 million rubles.