For the first time since the start of the war, Russian officers will be tried for losses

For the first time, a court in Moscow will consider a criminal case about violation of the rules of combat duty in response to a surprise attack on the territory of Russia, committed after the start of the war in Ukraine. This is reported by Kommersant.

Two senior officers of the Russian army, lieutenant colonel Anatoly Bondarev and major Dmitry Dmytrakov, are accused of not being able to prevent the shelling of their unit in the Belgorod region by the Armed Forces, including an ammunition depot. As a result of the explosions, seven servicemen were killed, 43 were wounded, and 15 units of various military equipment were also destroyed, the newspaper writes.

The officers face ten years in prison.

According to “Kommersant”, the basis of the investigation was the events of April 2022, when, after numerous publications on social networks, videos and photos of explosions and fires in the area of ​​the village of Staraya Nelidovka, Belgorod Region, the authorities confirmed reports of a fire at an ammunition warehouse, but did not provide details.

Major Dmytrakov was accused of the deaths of servicemen and arrested.

Subsequently, one of the commanders of the unit, lieutenant colonel Bondarev, became the accused in the case, who, according to the investigation, did not follow the actions of his subordinate in the organization of the unit’s defense, including strikes using rockets and artillery, Kommersant writes. It is not known whether the lieutenant colonel was taken into custody.

According to some data, the defendants are also suing for damages for the entire amount of the damage caused.

From the case card on the court’s official website, it follows that the case has been accepted for trial, but a specific judge has not yet been assigned.