Russian Armed Forces personnel will be held criminally liable for refusing to open fire on the enemy and abandoning equipment in combat zones. The relevant information was published in "Rossiyskaya Gazeta."
The initiator of the amendments to the Criminal Code was Andrey Kartapolov, chairman of the State Duma Defense Committee, and the government has already supported this bill.
As explained by the initiative's authors, the current Article 332 of the Criminal Code ("Failure to obey an order") can currently only be interpreted as a refusal to deploy to a combat zone. The proposed changes clarify the wording so that violations also include refusing to fire on the enemy and abandoning positions without authorization.
Currently, this article stipulates punishment from two to three years of imprisonment for disobeying a commander, and in case of severe consequences—from three to ten years. The report does not mention plans to toughen these terms.
Additionally, it is planned to amend Article 348 of the Criminal Code—"Loss of military property" (maximum penalty—up to seven years in a penal colony). Provisions will be added to it that classify the surrender of equipment to the enemy as a crime:
"The article will apply to servicemen who, succumbing to panic, abandoned, for example, a functional tank or armored personnel carrier, and this vehicle became an enemy trophy," the publication notes.
As early as spring 2023, the plenum of the Supreme Court adopted a resolution with similar clarifications, but in practice, not all law enforcement officers and judges are familiar with it. To simplify the application of these norms, the corresponding changes will be introduced directly into the Criminal Code.