The court sentenced the paratrooper who caused the death of his colleague – he was crushed by a truck

The Oktyabrsky District Court in Vitebsk announced the verdict concerning the death of 20-year-old paratrooper Viktor Kalachinsky. On April 22 this year, he was seriously injured by an army vehicle. The incident occurred on the territory of the military unit. The next day, the soldier died at the hospital. The accused – the driver of the MAZ, aged 19, and his colleague Nikolai Atrushkevich – was sentenced to two years' imprisonment with a probation period for the same period. He will not be able to drive a vehicle before 5 years.

The tragedy occurred on April 22, 2019 on the territory of the 103rd Brigade in Vitebsk. A 20-year-old individual from Orsha, Viktor Kalachinsky, who had 18 days to "demobilize", unloaded the trailer, standing between cars. One of them rolled, and the guy was squeezed. A soldier seriously injured in the abdomen, back and legs was taken to intensive care. The next day, April 23, a young man died at the emergency hospital.

According to the investigation, the 19-year-old pilot Nikolai Atrushkevich, lying in the cabin of the MAZ, was not convinced that the gearshift was in neutral and started the engine. This caused the movement in front of the car and a collision with another car that hit a soldier.

– The accused was sentenced to 2 years in prison with a probationary period of 2 years. He is also deprived of the right to drive vehicles for 5 years. Article 78 of the Criminal Code of Belarus applied to the defendant (conditional sentence sentence), TUT.BY told the Oktyabrsky District Court press office in Vitebsk.

In other words, the court will not carry out the sentence if, within two years of probation, the convicted person does not commit a new crime and performs the tasks badigned to him by the court. During the probationary period, convicts will be subject to preventive supervision.

Nikolai Atrushkevich was found guilty of violating the rules of management or use of a combat, special or transport vehicle that, by negligence, caused the death of a person (second part of Article 464 of the Penal Code).

The first meeting was held on July 29 at the Oktyabrsky district court in Vitebsk. And the second, on which the sentence was pronounced, on July 30, on the territory of the military unit, in the 103rd separate mobile guard brigade.

Nikolai Atrushkevich fully acknowledged his guilt:

– I understand that I am guilty. I would like to apologize to the parents of the deceased colleague.

At trial, the soldier was without a lawyer – he explained that he did not need his services. The accused made only one request, that of his military colleagues, who asked the court to commute his sentence.

The mother and father of the late Viktor Kalachinsky were the victims. They were not present at the trial, writing a statement saying that they were asked to examine the case without their participation – "for family and moral reasons". The parents of the paratrooper made no complaint about the punishment of the accused; they were told that they were relying on the court's decision.