Who is the deserter? This question can often be heard from people who have never served in the army. As you can already understand, this term is directly related to military affairs. In our article today, we will tell you in detail about the true meaning of the word “deserter”. Interested in? Then start reading faster!
What is desertion?
Deserter - who is it? To answer this question, you need to understand what the term "desertion" means.
Desertion is a grave crime committed by a soldier because of fear, contempt for the state or unwillingness to serve in the army. Desertion is any abandonment of a service or unit committed to evade military training. In addition, desertion is the deliberate failure to appear in the service in the event of a business trip, appointment, transfer, end of vacation or sick leave. It is worthwhile to understand that from the point of view of military affairs, desertion can only be carried out by conscripts.
It follows that the deserter is a person who has escaped from military service or is hiding from draft in the army.
Punishment for desertion in Russia
The Russian Criminal Code has an article 338 called “Desertion”. According to this article, unauthorized abandonment of the place of army service or military unit in order to evade training in the army is punishable by a term of up to seven years in prison.
Group desertion or desertion with weapons issued in the service shall be punishable by imprisonment of up to ten years.
Note. A soldier who has left a unit or service for the first time in his life may be exempted from criminal liability if his desertion was the result of a combination of unfavorable circumstances.
Punishment for desertion in Ukraine
The situation in Ukraine is almost similar to the situation in Russia. According to article 408 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, deserters are criminals whose actions are in violation of the law.
For leaving the place of military service punishment in the form of imprisonment for a term of two to five years is provided. In the event that a person commits these actions with a weapon or in collusion with other persons, he may be imprisoned for a term of five to ten years.
If desertion takes place during a special period (in addition to martial law), a person is also punished by imprisonment for a term of five to ten years.
When a soldier deserts in wartime, thus leaving his fellow soldiers to die, he has an even greater responsibility, since this is a particularly serious violation of the law. In accordance with the gravity of the crime, the punishment was established in the Criminal Code of the Ukrainian state. If the desertion was completely in a combat situation or martial law, a soldier can be imprisoned for a term of five to twelve years.
What is desertion? Who is the deserter ? How severely is desertion punished? We think we managed to give answers to these questions. We hope that the facts presented in the publication were useful to you!