Minsk Regional Court has sentenced a soldier who went to Ukraine to fight on the side of one of the self-proclaimed republics, TUT.by citing the regional prosecutor’s office.
A 25-year-old resident of Salihorsk was called up for compulsory military service. In October 2018, while on vacation, he decided not to return to the military unit and go to Ukraine to join the separatists’ military formation.
He had no money for the trip, so the man bought a mobile phone in installments in the shop and immediately sold it. The next day he left for Ukraine, but was detained by the SBU.
In Belarus, he was convicted for desertion, attempt to participate in an armed formation in a foreign country and fraud. He received a sentence of 5 years in prison and was deprived of the rank of “corporal”.
The sentence has not come into force and can be appealed.
