First Verdict Delivered To Military In Moscow For Being Defeated By AFU In RF's Belgorod Region

Two high-ranking officers of the Russian army were tried behind closed doors.

A military court in Moscow has delivered the first verdict "for failing to repel a surprise attack by the Ukrainian armed forces on Russian territory" because of violating combat duty. Two Russian officers received four years in prison each, the Kommersant newspaper reported.

Two officers of the Russian army - Lieutenant Colonel Anatoly Bondarev and Major Dmitriy Dmitrakov - were tried behind closed doors. They were charged under part 2 of article 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).

According to the prosecutor's office, on April 27 last year they failed to prevent the AFU shelling of their unit in Belgorod region, where there was an ammunition depot. Seven Russian servicemen died under the shelling and 43 others were wounded.

According to the newspaper's sources, the defendants were sentenced to four years in a high-security colony instead of the ten-year sentence stipulated by the article. They have already served more than a year and a half of this term under investigation and trial, and therefore may soon be eligible for parole.

In addition, as Kommersant has learnt, the court did not deprive the convicts of their officer ranks. Thus, after serving their sentences or being released on parole, they may well return to the Russian Armed Forces.