Russian deserters exiled in France: “I immediately understood that I was going to be used as cannon fodder”

Arriving in France barely a week ago, Andrei, 32, does not hide his relief: “I am very well, because I have arrived in the land of the free, where I am safe.”

Originally from the Republic of Yakutia, on the borders of Siberia in the north-east of Russia, Andrei received his summons on September 23, 2022. “I immediately understood that I was going to be used as cannon fodder, because they summoned everyone, without distinction. We were like cattle.”

A few days later, he decided to flee Russia, heading to Kazakhstan, a border country where NGOs help Russian soldiers to defect. After two years spent in fear of being arrested and deported, he obtained a visa for France, where he requested asylum without ever setting foot in Ukraine.

“Vladimir Putin is a war criminal”

Unlike Alexander, 26, from Norilsk in the Arctic Circle. “I participated in the invasion of Ukraine with my brigade. I was particularly in the Zaporizhia region. I tried to flee several times: I was against this war.”

Now a refugee in the north of France, Alexander does not mince his words against Vladimir Putin: “I think he is a war criminal. His power at the head of Russia is illegitimate.”

The files of these six Russian deserters were scrutinized by the French authorities to ensure that they did not have blood on their hands. NGOs hope this is the start of an opening to more Russian defectors in Europe.