In Volyn, a member of a Baptist church was convicted of evading conscription

A court in the Volyn region has sentenced a local resident who refused to be mobilized, citing his religious beliefs. The man was sentenced to imprisonment with a probationary period. This was reported by Volynnews.

According to case files from the Kovel City and District Court, in June 2024, a military medical commission deemed a citizen named Veniamin K. fit for service in rear units and training centers. Despite being served with a summons, the conscript refused to report to his unit, which was classified as evasion of military conscription during mobilization (Article 336 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

During the trial, the defendant partially admitted his guilt. He claimed that violations had occurred during the medical examination and emphasized that he is a member of the Evangelical Christian Baptist Church. According to the man, his religious beliefs prohibit him from taking up arms. Instead of military service, he expressed his willingness to assist displaced persons at a house of prayer and to participate in the reconstruction of destroyed housing.

Taking into account the defendant’s positive character reference and his active volunteer work, the court sentenced him to three years in prison, converting this sentence to one year of probation.

As a reminder, we recently reported that in Volodymyr-Volynskyi, TRC officers beat and detained a priest of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.