January 11, 2023

From Hero to Zero


From Hero to Zero
Russian 56th Separate Guards Air Assault Brigade
Igor Rudenko, Wikimedia 
 Commons

According to Novaya Gazeta Europe, the Odintsovo military court (Moscow Oblast) has sentenced 30-year-old sergeant Roman Kashtakov to two years probation because he did not show up for his military service. 

Yet Roman Kashtakov is not just a soldier, but a “hero” of the war. According to the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, in March, Kashtakov destroyed an ammunition truck and five armored personnel carriers of the Ukrainian army with one lucky shot.

According to the verdict in his AWOL case, Kashtakov did not return on time from vacation to his service post. He had received a ten-day leave on June 24 from his field camp near the border of Ukraine in Valuysky district, Belgorod region. He only returned to duty in September.

This is not the first time a Russian soldier has been convicted for not showing up for military service. According to Mediazona, from the beginning of the war through December of last year, 790 sentences were handed down in such cases. And since the beginning of mobilization and the entry into force of the new law toughening punishment for going AWOL "during the period of mobilization or martial law, during wartime, or in conditions of armed conflict or warfare," some 40 similar cases have been recorded. In particular, in 19 cases, military members have been given heavy sentences: from 5 to 10 years in prison.

However, with Roman Kashtakov, the court chose a rather lenient punishment: only two years of probation. As follows from the verdict, the court considered Kashtakov's state award and his "participation in the special military operation."

Interestingly, while Komsomolskaya Pravda (a pro-Kremlin daily newspaper) recorded Kashtakov's "exploits" as a hero, it has yet to report that the war “hero” did not show up for service and was convicted.

You Might Also Like

Let it Go, Let it Go
  • December 30, 2022

Let it Go, Let it Go

Russian men mobilized to fight in Russia's War on Ukraine will be able to freeze and store their sperm for free.
War Support Falling
  • December 04, 2022

War Support Falling

According to an internal, Kremlin poll, 55% of Russians favor negotiations with Ukraine, and only 25% are in favor of continuing the war.
Death Awaits Them
  • October 12, 2022

Death Awaits Them

"Honestly, they will all die there." – Kirill, a Russian soldier who has fought in Ukraine offers a grim prognosis of what awaits the new mobilized recruits.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

The Moscow Eccentric
December 01, 2016

The Moscow Eccentric

Advance reviewers are calling this new translation "a coup" and "a remarkable achievement." This rediscovered gem of a novel by one of Russia's finest writers explores some of the thorniest issues of the early twentieth century.

The Little Humpbacked Horse
November 03, 2014

The Little Humpbacked Horse

A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.

Bears in the Caviar
May 01, 2015

Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar is a hilarious and insightful memoir by a diplomat who was “present at the creation” of US-Soviet relations. Charles Thayer headed off to Russia in 1933, calculating that if he could just learn Russian and be on the spot when the US and USSR established relations, he could make himself indispensable and start a career in the foreign service. Remarkably, he pulled it of.

Marooned in Moscow
May 01, 2011

Marooned in Moscow

This gripping autobiography plays out against the backdrop of Russia's bloody Civil War, and was one of the first Western eyewitness accounts of life in post-revolutionary Russia. Marooned in Moscow provides a fascinating account of one woman's entry into war-torn Russia in early 1920, first-person impressions of many in the top Soviet leadership, and accounts of the author's increasingly dangerous work as a journalist and spy, to say nothing of her work on behalf of prisoners, her two arrests, and her eventual ten-month-long imprisonment, including in the infamous Lubyanka prison. It is a veritable encyclopedia of life in Russia in the early 1920s.

Steppe
July 15, 2022

Steppe

This is the work that made Chekhov, launching his career as a writer and playwright of national and international renown. Retranslated and updated, this new bilingual edition is a super way to improve your Russian.

Woe From Wit (bilingual)
June 20, 2017

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.

Driving Down Russia's Spine
June 01, 2016

Driving Down Russia's Spine

The story of the epic Spine of Russia trip, intertwining fascinating subject profiles with digressions into historical and cultural themes relevant to understanding modern Russia. 

Little Golden Calf
February 01, 2010

Little Golden Calf

Our edition of The Little Golden Calf, one of the greatest Russian satires ever, is the first new translation of this classic novel in nearly fifty years. It is also the first unabridged, uncensored English translation ever, and is 100% true to the original 1931 serial publication in the Russian journal 30 Dnei. Anne O. Fisher’s translation is copiously annotated, and includes an introduction by Alexandra Ilf, the daughter of one of the book’s two co-authors.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955