Russia’s Unprecedented 15-Year Sentence for Soldier’s Voluntary Surrender to Ukraine

A military court in Russia’s Far East has issued the country’s inaugural prison sentence for voluntarily surrendering to the Ukrainian military, as reported by the Kommersant business newspaper on Tuesday, citing a source familiar with the situation.

Junior Sergeant Roman Ivanishin had his military rank revoked and was convicted of desertion along with two attempts to surrender.

Earlier, Kommersant reported that Ivanishin was taken prisoner in eastern Ukraine in June 2023 and was returned to Russia in January 2024 as part of a prisoner exchange facilitated by the United Arab Emirates.

Upon his return, he was directed to his motorized infantry brigade’s base in the Sakhalin region, where he was subsequently detained.

Ivanishin’s trial commenced on March 17 and was conducted in secrecy, with minimal information disclosed to the public.

On Monday, a military court in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk sentenced Ivanishin to 15 years in prison, according to Kommersant. Prosecutors had sought a 16-year sentence.

Ivanishin maintained his innocence throughout the proceedings.

In late 2022, Russia enacted legislation that increased penalties for voluntary surrender, desertion, and refusal to serve. Factors such as wartime conditions, mobilization, and martial law are deemed aggravating circumstances, permitting stricter penalties.

President Vladimir Putin announced a partial mobilization of troops in September 2022, several months after the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and this mobilization has yet to be officially revoked.