Defense of Stavropol resident announces appeal of desertion verdict

Stavropol resident Anton Sergienko was sentenced to 8.5 years in a maximum security penal colony for "desertion during mobilization." The defense intends to appeal the verdict.

As "Kavkazsky Uzel" wrote, Stavropol Krai resident Anton Sergienko, accused of desertion, refused to admit guilt, stating that he does not have the status of a military serviceman.

The Stavropol Garrison Military Court issued a verdict yesterday, July 15, in the case of desertion during mobilization, a representative of Anton Sergienko's defense reported. "They sentenced him to 8.5 years in a maximum security penal colony. They took him into custody in the courtroom," the defense attorney told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

According to investigators, Anton Sergienko was mobilized on February 24, 2022, by three military registration and enlistment offices in Donetsk. After the decree on partial mobilization in September 2022, he was enlisted in the Russian Armed Forces. The prosecution claims that on January 1, 2024, he left the unit, and when detained at the Stavropol airport, he directly stated his unwillingness to serve.

Sergienko did not admit guilt, insisting that he had never been a military man, had not been mobilized, and information about his enlistment in the army was not documented. The defense claims that there is no evidence of his mobilization, in particular, the decision of the mobilization commission. According to the lawyer, in this regard, the defendant cannot be considered a subject of the crime provided for by the article on desertion. The defense insisted on acquittal.

The defense's arguments were completely ignored by the court, the lawyer said. "The court did not listen to the defense's arguments. The verdict is not yet in hand, the reasoning is unknown. We will file an appeal within 15 days after receiving the verdict," the defense representative said.

The case file on the website of the Stavropol Garrison Military Court reports that Judge Dmitry Mamontov passed the verdict alone.