Russian Soldier Fined RUB 2.5 Million for ‘Defeatist’ Conversations

A military court in Rostov-on-Don initially sentenced Sergeant Seferbeg Gadzhiev for “spreading false information” about the Russian army, but later opted to replace the sentence with a fine.

The Russian newspaper Kommersant reported on this.

According to the investigation, in September of last year, while on guard duty, Gadzhiev shared with his subordinates details about the successes of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the setbacks faced by Russian troops in the Donetsk region.

The court deemed this as “public dissemination of knowingly false information” using his official position, which falls under part two of Article 207.3 of the Russian Criminal Code – “fake news about the army.”

Initially, the Military Court in Rostov-on-Don sentenced Gadzhiev to 5.5 years in a penal colony, with the loss of his military rank and a three-year ban on holding positions related to organizational and administrative functions in state bodies and local governments.

However, the appellate court later replaced the sentence with a financial fine of RUB 2.5 million. The sergeant’s military rank was also reinstated, allowing him to continue serving in the combat zone.

The defense lawyer managed to convince the court that the conversation was of a domestic nature and did not influence the views of the people involved.

Militarnyi previously reported that a Russian national was sentenced to six and a half years in prison in Estonia for spying on behalf of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) and violating the country’s sanctions regime.