Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, more than 20,000 cases of refusal of service have been submitted to Russian military courts, with verdicts already issued in almost 18,000 cases, calculated by «Mediazona»*.
The most cases (18,159) have been initiated under the article on unauthorized abandonment of a unit, which, taking into account the «mobilization» amendments, provides for up to ten years of imprisonment.
Under the «lightest» article on non-compliance with an order, the maximum penalty for which is three years, 1,369 cases have already been submitted to the courts. Another 1,010 cases have been filed under the article on desertion, which carries a penalty of up to 15 years of imprisonment.
By the spring of 2025, military investigators and prosecutors reached peak figures — about a thousand cases are sent to courts across the country every month. At the same time, judges settled on a level of 700-800 sentences per month. In April 2025, 848 sentences were issued, or 38 decisions for each working day — more than in the record-breaking previous year.
From January to May 2025, 4,350 cases of refusal of military service were submitted to Russian courts.
* Recognized in Russia as a «foreign agent».