Bravery on the battlefield is an excuse for military criminals to get a milder punishment.

The State Duma, lower chamber of the Russian parliament, has introduced legislation that would exempt the military who serve under contract from punishments for committing petty and moderate crimes.

The law would apply in the case of contract personnel who join the armed forces as part of the mobilization campaign, emergency situation, or wartime. 

Those sentenced prior to the enforcement of the new law would be covered by its provisions too.

If adopted in the final reading, the law would spare the servicemen from criminal liability for acts of bravery on the battlefield, which are formally documented by their commanders and entitle the candidate to military awards and honors.

They would be cleared of charges on the day of discharge from service or the day the award is given.

The same would apply to those who have already served their sentence or have been released conditionally.

Commanding officers would oversee the conduct of personnel members seeking criminal clearance and would make recommendations to higher ranking staff about the candidates.

Russian soldiers at a post office sending home stolen items. Credit: Hanna Lyubakova

But there’s a catch: if a soldier commits another crime after being pardoned for earlier charges, he gets back the former counts and faces new ones.

Russian troops have been repeatedly exposed by surveillance cameras and in phone video records during the looting and plundering of homes of civilians in Ukraine. Witnesses say Russian soldiers consider that “taking from the enemy” is not theft but the legitimate appropriation of trophy or wartime prey.