Russian Soldier Faces 10 Years in Prison for Failing to Stop Ukraine Strike
A Russian soldier has been accused of failing to prevent a strike by Ukraine on Russia's Belgorod region in the early stages of the war, according to a local news outlet.
Citing sources close to the investigation, the Russian daily newspaper Kommersant reported that investigators say the soldier violated combat duty when he did not prevent an attack of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the territory of Russia in the spring of 2022, which resulted in casualties and destroyed military equipment.
The man could face a prison sentence of up to 10 years if convicted.
There have been reports of strikes in Russia's Belgorod, located near the border with Ukraine, throughout Russian President Vladimir Putin's full-scale invasion of the neighboring country. In December, Russian troops began digging elaborate trench systems in Belgorod, and the region's governor said he was establishing local "self-defense units."
Unexplained explosions have hit Belgorod, and Kursk, which is also close to the border. Fuel depots and ammunition have been targeted in the strikes, although Ukraine has not directly claimed responsibility for any strikes on Russian soil.
According to Kommersant, the Russian soldier has been held at a pre-trial detention center since May 2022. He was transferred to a detention center in St. Petersburg in December.
The newspaper said that as a result of the strike in the Belgorod region, seven servicemen were killed and 43 people were injured or shell-shocked, while 15 units of military equipment were destroyed and 30 units were damaged. The total cost of the damage amounted to 89 million rubles ($1.1 million).
Investigators say that he allowed Russia's defense capability to be seriously damaged, despite having the opportunity to prevent the attack.
The newspaper's sources said that he made not only a personal mistake but "serious miscalculations" in failing to prevent the strike.
Kommersant notes that the Russian soldier has said that he isn't at fault.
Fears appear to be growing in Russia of Ukrainian attacks on Russian soil. In January, air defense systems were erected on top of several defense and administrative buildings in the capital, Moscow, including on the roof of a building used by the Russian defense ministry.
And on March 4, Andrey Kartapolov, head of Russia's State Duma Defense Committee, recommended Russian companies build their own air defense systems, saying that the Ministry of Defense's funds "are focused on covering important state and military facilities."
Newsweek reached out to the Russian foreign ministry via email for comment.
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