July 3 (Reuters) - A Russian soldier has been sentenced to seven years in prison for twice escaping from his army unit, a military court in the Siberian city of Tomsk said on Monday. Siberia.Realities, a local project of U.S. government-funded news outlet Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, identified the soldier as Ivan Klester. Last month a military court in Russia’s Far East sentenced a soldier to nine years for deserting three times. The man pleaded guilty, saying that he had to care for his sick wife, Russian newspaper Kommersant reported. President Vladimir Putin signed a law last September to toughen punishments for a host of crimes such as desertion, damage to military property and insubordination if they are committed during military mobilisation or combat situations.

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Persons: Ivan Klester, Vladimir Putin, Wagner, General Andrei Kartapolov, Lucy Papachristou, Mark Trevelyan Organizations: Radio Free, Radio Liberty, Russia’s Far, Kommersant, Ukrainian, TASS, Thomson Locations: Siberian, Tomsk, Siberia.Realities, U.S, Radio Free Europe, Russia’s, Russian