MOSCOW: A pregnant Russian soldier was sentenced to six years in prison for failing to report for duty, German news agency (dpa) quoted the Kommersant newspaper report on Monday.
The court hearing the case disregarded a report from her military unit’s medical service that had recommended she be given a temporary exemption from duty.
The military court in the southern city of Vladikavkaz ruled that as the woman had not resigned from her job, she had to be held liable as a deserter for not showing up to work.
The defence said it would appeal the verdict.
The lance corporal has been under contract since 2016 and already has a five-year-old child, the Russian media said, citing information from the court.
The court postponed the implementation of the sentence until 2032, when her dependent children will be older.
Russia has been waging a full-scale war against neighbouring Ukraine for nearly 19 months and sustaining heavy losses.
Moscow had called up some 300,000 reservists in a partial mobilisation last year after suffering major losses in Ukraine.
At the time, tens of thousands fled abroad to avoid having to fight. – Bernama
