Over 20,000 Russians prosecuted for refusing to fight in Ukraine. Russia sees a wave of military refusal, with Ukraine not far behind
Photo: STRINGER / TASS More than three years after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, military courts across the country have registered over 20,000 criminal cases against soldiers accused of refusing to serve, according to court data compiled by Mediazona. The majority of these prosecutions, a total of 18,159 cases, fall under Article 337 of the Russian Criminal Code, which deals with unauthorised absence from a military unit.