Russian soldiers stand in formation before the Victory Rally for the 80th anniversary of victory in WWII in Moscow, Russia, 24 April 2025. Photo: EPA-EFE/YURY KOCHETKOV

Over the past three years, more than 20,000 cases have been brought to Russian military courts on charges relating to the refusal of individuals to serve in Russia’s armed forces, 17,721 of which have resulted in convictions, independent news outlet Mediazona reported on Thursday based on court data.

According to Mediazona, most cases —18,159 — related to the “unauthorised abandonment of a unit”, which carries a sentence of up to 10 years in prison upon conviction.

A smaller quantity — 1,369 cases — were tied to a less stringent law, which covers the “non-execution of an order” and provides for up to three years in prison as punishment, while a third group — 1,010 — were filed under a law concerning desertion, for which a defendant can be sentenced to 15 years in prison, Mediazona reported.

According to Mediazona’s figures, prosecutions in Russia hit an all-time high in the spring, with approximately 1,000 cases referred to courts around the country every month, though that figure has fallen slightly in recent months.

By contrast, the number of cases relating to the refusal of service is increasing in Ukraine, with 15,000-20,000 cases opened each month by investigators there, according to statistics from Ukraine’s Office of the Prosecutor General.

However, in Ukraine, Mediazona reports, only a few hundred cases per month are actually brought to court, and in approximately two thirds of these, prosecutors request that the defendants not be held criminally liable.