A Russian military court today sentenced a soldier to 15 years in prison who was found guilty of desecration and voluntary tradition in Ukraine, in the first such persecution of Russia, as Kommersant said.

Russia introduced the crime of voluntary tradition in September 2022, which is punished for three to ten years in prison.

According to Kommersant, a court on the island of Sahalin, in the Russian Far East, ruled the soldier Roman Ivanissis guilty of voluntary tradition, attempted voluntary tradition and desertion.

Ivanissin, allegedly denied all charges, will serve his sentence in a highest security prison.

His trial became behind closed doors.

According to Russian newspapers, Ivanissin was a worker in mines in Sahalin and a veteran of the Russian wars in Chechnya. He was recruited for the war in Ukraine in 2022 and fought in the Donetsk region.

He was captured by Ukrainian soldiers in June 2023 and in a video posted on the internet appeared to denounce the Russian military campaign in Ukraine and calling for other soldiers.

In a video posted by Ukrainian sources in 2023, the soldier said he was called for a term on September 22, 2022, the day after the announcement of the recruitment.

Ivanissin, who was a prisoner, also called on the Russians not to go to the war and not let their relatives go there: “There are very severe bombings, people are discouraged, no one wants to fight. Many have already left their seats and returned to their homes … Many want to leave, surrender, the administration does not allow it, … fear and confusion reigns, what to do, “he allegedly said in the video.

It was not clear from Kommersant’s report if this video was talking under the threat of violence. His defense team allegedly demanded his acquittal, saying that there is no evidence that he had committed a crime.

Ivanissin returned to Russia in an exchange of prisoners in January 2024 and was under investigation, according to Kommersant.