Corporal sentenced for fleeing Belarus to fight in Ukraine

After his vacation, a corporal from the Belarusian army decided not to return to his unit and left the country to fight in Ukraine. The 25-year-old resident of Salihorsk planned to join the armed formations of the self-proclaimed republics. He allegedly had such plans even before his conscription. While on vacation, he watches many videos from Donbas and decided not to return to his military unit.

Last October, the Belarusian was detained by Ukrainian special services. As a result, the deserter was forcibly returned to his homeland. According to TUT.by, his case was heard by the Minsk regional court. The man was deprived of the title of "corporal" and received 5 years of imprisonment for desertion, attempt to participate in an armed formation in a foreign country and fraud (the sentence can still be appealed). As for the fraud, the Salihorsk resident did not have any money for the trip, so he bought a mobile phone in installments from the phone shop. He then sold it and went to Ukraine for the money he received.