In First, Russia Jails 2 Soldiers for ‘Failure to Prevent’ Ukrainian Strike – Kommersant

Two senior Russian officers have been imprisoned on charges of failing to prevent a Ukrainian missile strike on Russia, the first such case of its kind, the business daily Kommersant reported Wednesday, citing anonymous sources familiar with the trial.

Lieutenant Colonel Anatoly Bondarev and Major Dmitry Dmitrakov were accused of allowing a Ukrainian missile strike on an ammunition warehouse in western Russia’s Belgorod region in April 2022.

At least seven soldiers died and 43 were wounded in the attack, which also destroyed 15 pieces of military equipment.

A military court found Bondarev and Dmitrakov guilty of “violating the rules of combat duty to repel an unexpected attack on Russia,” according to Kommersant.

Both men were sentenced to four years in prison, of which one and a half years they spent in pre-trial detention was counted toward their terms. 

The case was heard behind closed doors, Kommersant noted.

Bondarev and Dmitrakov will be allowed to return to military service upon serving their sentence since they were not been stripped of their ranks, the newspaper’s source said.

The soldiers’ lawyer, who was not named by the Kommersant, said both men plan to appeal their sentences in a higher court.

Attacks on Russian territory were rare at the beginning of the war, but have intensified in recent months, with Kyiv increasingly claiming responsibility.