Russian deserters in France: From front lines to peace efforts
Russian deserters residing in France have declared their willingness to work towards ending the war in Ukraine by breaking the silence in Russian society. "Maybe our example will inspire someone and encourage them to leave the military," they state in an interview with AFP.
6:38 AM EDT, October 22, 2024
"I was in shock, (...) I didn't understand what was happening," recalls Aleksandr, a communications officer before deserting, about the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine. He explains in an interview with AFP that after setting off with his unit supposedly for "military exercises" in annexed Crimea in February 2022, he suddenly found himself "in another country," which was Ukraine.
During a summer leave in 2022, Aleksandr asked to leave the military but a few days later realized it would be impossible. "On September 21 (...) Vladimir Putin announced the mobilization of 300,000 people for the war in Ukraine," he reports.
Escape from the front
Another soldier, whom the agency spoke with, was sent to the front at that time—27-year-old Sergei, who served "in an infantry unit responsible for IT and soldier training." "I had friends in Ukraine and fully understood what was happening there," he says, emphasizing that he "did not want to participate in the war."
As part of the mobilization, Andrei, formerly a construction worker from Yakutia, joined the army. New recruits were taken onto a plane without being told the final destination. They arrived at a training center in Buryatia, from where Andrei managed to escape five days later.
A stop in Kazakhstan
Aleksandr, Sergei, and Andrei fled to Kazakhstan, one of the few countries, alongside Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, and Belarus, where Russians can travel with only an internal passport.
It was in Kazakhstan, through the Kazakhstan International Bureau for Human Rights and Rule of Law, that the three deserters met. A few months later, another former soldier, Mikhail, joined them.
Unprecedented decision by France
On October 16, a total of six former Russian soldiers were granted temporary visas by the French government, allowing them to apply for temporary asylum. This was the first highly publicized case of a group of Russian deserters being accepted by an EU country.
The mentioned quartet of deserters is currently working on a project called "Farewell to Arms," where Russian soldiers can anonymously share their wartime experiences.
According to the anti-war NGO Idite Lesom, about 500 Russian deserters are currently in Kazakhstan and Armenia, with thousands more hiding in Russia itself.
