The military garrison court in Barnaul sentenced Novosibirsk Federal Protective Service officer Major Mikhail Zhilin, 36, to 6.5 years in prison for trying to leave for Kazakhstan after the mobilisation was announced in the country, Taiga. Info reports. The sentence is published on the court website.
He was charged with desertion during mobilisation and illegal border crossing.
According to the investigation team, the serviceman sold his property and informed the command about his “work incapacity”, fearing that he would be sent to war. As it was specified in the court, on September 27 Zhilin crossed the border bypassing official checkpoints.
Zhilin, who worked as an engineer at the Federal Protective Service’s Centre for Special Communications and Information in Novosibirsk, tried to leave for Kazakhstan after mobilisation began. He, along with his wife and children, left Russia after the draft began and crossed the border through the forest because he was afraid Russian border guards would not let him out.
As a result, Russia and Kazakhstan accused the man of illegally crossing the border. Russia also charged the officer with desertion and put him on the international wanted list. Kazakhstan denied the man asylum and ordered his deportation. On December 30, he was deported to Russia.
