Contract soldier from Chechnya wounded in Ukraine sentenced to one year in prison

The Grozny District Court sentenced contract soldier Alan Batyrkhanov to a year in prison on charges of leaving a military unit. This despite the fact that he fought in Ukraine and was wounded.

At the trial, Batyrkhanov said that he was forced to leave the unit in January in order to help his pregnant wife and family experiencing financial difficulties. In addition, he participated in the hostilities in Ukraine, where he received a shell shock. Because of this, he was declared temporarily unfit for service.

The court of appeal, represented by the Southern District Court, did not take into account the above arguments and upheld the verdict.

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