For apologies and repentance, the soldier was sentenced

As it became known to Kommersant, the mobilized Alexander Leshkov, to whom the appellate court toughened the sentence from five and a half to seven years for attacking the commander, now wants to petition the president for clemency. The military man fully admitted his guilt, apologized to the victim, his wife suffers from a serious illness, but this was not enough for the soldier to reduce, rather than add, the sentence.

The session in the 2nd Western Military Court took no more than two hours, as it took place without consideration of evidence. In its appeal against the verdict handed down by the Odintsovo garrison court in January, the military prosecutor’s office considered it too lenient and asked the court to toughen the sentence. Then, in the debate of the parties, the state prosecutor asked that the mobilized Alexander Leshkov, a former master of sports in hockey, be sentenced to ten years in prison. In turn, the defense of the military, which insisted on a suspended sentence, considered the sentence of five and a half years too harsh, and in the appeal instance asked the court to reduce Alexander Leshkov’s sentence as much as possible.

The injured Lieutenant Colonel Denis Mazanov, who was present at the hearing, supported the military prosecutor’s office’s appeal, and did not actually participate in the further proceedings. Meanwhile, the defense of Alexander Leshkov tried to bring to court mitigating, in her opinion, circumstances: the defendant’s confession of his guilt, positive characteristics at the place of work and residence, the presence of two small children as dependents, as well as a brain tumor found in his wife. At the same time, the defendant Alexander Leshkov several times apologized to Lieutenant Colonel Mazanov for his behavior via video conference.

The apology continued even as the court withdrew to make a decision. The military explained that he had an “emotional breakdown”, because, leaving voluntarily for the army, he did not expect that he would have to serve in such difficult conditions.

Agreeing with the arguments of the military prosecutors about the inadmissibility of using violent actions against the chief, the court increased the punishment for the defendant to seven years in a strict regime colony.

It should be noted that this decision can also be appealed by the defense to the Military Court of Cassation, located in Novosibirsk, but Alexander Leshkov, in a conversation with his lawyers, has already asked how and when he can apply to the president for clemency.

The incident between Alexander Leshkov and Lieutenant Colonel Denis Mazanov, we recall, occurred on November 13, 2022 at the Patriot training ground during the so-called combat coordination of mobilized and volunteers.

Alexander Leshkov, in a raised voice, complained to Lieutenant Colonel Denis Mazanov about the equipment and insufficient, in his opinion, fire training of the mobilized and volunteers. Then he insulted the officer, exhaled cigarette smoke in his face and pushed him in the chest.

All these actions, as well as the dialogue itself, were recorded on video by the accused’s colleagues and then posted on social networks.

The video, which caused a great resonance, became one of the evidence of Alexander Leshkov’s guilt in committing a crime under Part 3 of Art. 334 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (violent actions of a serviceman committed against a commander during mobilization or martial law). He faced a sentence of up to 15 years in prison.