The Supreme Court of the Russian Federation took the initiative to expand the possibility of exemption from criminal liability for defendants who entered into a contract with the Ministry of Defense or were called up for mobilization. This proposal applies to those whose cases are already at the trial stage.

Currently, this opportunity is provided for accused persons at the investigation stage, as well as for convicted persons. If the accused enters into a contract with the Ministry of Defense or is called up for mobilization, his criminal case is suspended. A complete termination of the case may follow if the serviceman receives a state award, reaches the service age limit, is declared unfit for health reasons, or in the event of the end of hostilities.

Now the Supreme Court proposes to extend these norms to those defendants whose cases are being considered in court. In other words, if the defendant signs a contract with the Department of Defense or is mobilized during the trial, his case may also be suspended and subsequently dismissed if certain conditions are met.