Criminal record does not exempt from military service. What threatens recruits for ignoring the agenda

Military service is the duty of every male citizen of the country aged 18 to 27 years, established by Article 57 of the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus. But there is a category of conscripts who, alas, believe otherwise. What punishment threatens evaders, the correspondent of the agency “Minsk-Novosti” told in the Prosecutor’s office.

The photo is illustrative, created by AI

Thus, a 20-year-old Minsk man, being a conscript, in November 2025, was supposed to appear at the military commissariat to be sent to the duty station. However, on the appointed day, he never got to the military unit, because he was poisoned in a roadside cafe, where he had lunch with his father the day before.

Feeling unwell, the young man turned to the clinic - he was issued a certificate of temporary disability. It is worth noting that it was closed even before the completion of the conscription campaign, but the young man never bothered to appear in the military enlistment office.

The defendant did not submit any exculpatory documents during that period, he did not respond to calls from military commissariat employees. At the same time, he was warned about the responsibility for evading conscription events. As a result, a criminal case was opened against the Minsk citizen.

In the court hearing, he fully admitted guilt, in what he did sincerely repented.

From the materials of the criminal case

The accused was not officially employed anywhere, he had not previously been brought to criminal responsibility. The court of the Partizansky district found him guilty of evading measures for conscription and on the basis of part 1 of article 435 of the criminal code imposed a punishment in the form of community service in the amount of 180 hours.

Another Minsk man of military age tarnished his biography, not appearing at the military enlistment office to undergo a medical commission. He ignored calls from unfamiliar numbers to his mobile phone.

Subsequently, investigators found that at the height of the recruitment campaign, the young man worked remotely in a prestigious organization and was afraid of losing his place. There is nothing better than buying a plane ticket and flying to Dubai. He lived there for over a year. With relatives, the evader did not maintain contact, only once called his mother, who said that a criminal case was initiated against him. Soon the boy returned to Minsk and appeared in court.

Competently

- The procedure for performing military service, the grounds and conditions for exemption from military service or its replacement by an alternative service shall be determined by law. Changes and additions to the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus, which came into force in 2024, toughened the punishment under Part 1 of Article 435 of the Criminal Code: if earlier it provided for a term of imprisonment of up to two years, now up to three years, said Timur Stuzhuk, Deputy Prosecutor of the Partizan District. New grounds for exemption from criminal liability for crimes aimed at evading military duty have been introduced (Note to Chapter 36 of the Criminal Code). Thus, a person who has committed acts provided for in Articles 434-437 of the Criminal Code is subject to release from criminal liability if he voluntarily declared to the body conducting the criminal proceedings about his readiness to perform military duty and got on military registration, passed events on call for military service, appeared for training (classes).

The presence of a criminal record for evading conscription measures does not exempt from such service in the future. After the expiration of the term of conviction for this crime, a citizen of the Republic of Belarus under the age of 27 years shall be subject to a new call.