A Kursk court has released a man accused of murder to fight in Ukraine.

The Kirovsky District Court of Kursk suspended the criminal case against 57-year-old Vladimir Pashkov, the accused of murdering his acquaintance. The court's decision stems from the defendant's contract for military service in the Ukrainian war zone.

According to the Telegram channel of the joint press service of the Kursk region courts, the man was charged with murder committed during a drinking session. Details of the incident have not been released, but the case file indicates that it was domestic in nature.

"During the consideration of the case, the Kirovsky District Court received a petition from the head of the Kursk military service recruitment center to suspend proceedings and lift the preventive measure against Vladimir due to his signing of a contract for military service in the Russian Armed Forces."- says in a press release.

The court accepted a motion from the head of the recruitment center for contract military service in Kursk to suspend the criminal case and lift the preventive measure against Pashkov. The document stated that the man had signed a contract with the Russian Armed Forces. The defendant and his lawyer supported the motion. Judge Lilia Luneva granted the request, suspending the case and transferring Vladimir Pashkov to the custody of the Ministry of Defense.

Pashkov's role in the war zone is still unknown. However, typically, citizens with similar experience are assigned to assault units.

The decision has provoked a mixed public reaction. On the one hand, sending those accused of serious crimes to war becomes a means of temporarily exempting them from responsibility. On the other hand, such cases raise safety concerns for both fellow soldiers and civilians.