“It is of great significance to show soldiers who want to desert other means than participating in the war.”
Plan to apply for political asylum for deserters entering the country… One of the tools to bring an early end to war
France 24 reported on the 18th, citing a report by the British Guardian newspaper on the 17th, that six Russian soldiers who deserted from the front lines to escape the battle with Ukraine recently arrived in France separately.
They all escaped from Russia to Kazakhstan and then entered France, and this is the first time that an EU country has allowed a group of deserters to enter the country without a travel document or foreign passport.
The escape route for Russian soldiers trying to escape the Ukrainian front is complicated and full of danger. Deserters face harsh punishments under Russian law, and it is nearly impossible to travel to “safe” countries outside the Kremlin’s sphere of influence.
“For the first time since I arrived in France, I could breathe properly,” Alexander, a former Russian contract soldier who deserted in the summer of 2023, told the Guardian. I could feel peace and freedom. “Now the worst is over,” he said.
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, nearly 7,400 soldiers have been tried in military courts on charges of AWOL, and the number is increasing every month, independent Russian media site Mediazona reported in April.
However, this number appears to be only a fraction of the total number of deserters. The number of people who would like to desert but are too afraid to do so must be much higher.
“The entry of deserters into France shows soldiers that there are other options than going to Ukraine and joining the war,” said Anastasia Burakova, founder of The Arc, a group that supports Russians opposing the war in Ukraine both in Russia and in exile. “It is really important in that it was given,” he said.
Since the start of the war, the EU has discussed providing asylum to those who deserted from conscription by the Russian military, but has not made an official decision.
Meanwhile, many deserters live in dangerous conditions. The ‘Go By The Forest’ organization, which helps Russian deserters, told Mediazona in March 2024 that 30% of the 520 deserters they supported were hiding in Russia, and the rest had fled abroad.
Under Russian law, which President Vladimir Putin strengthened after his invasion of Ukraine, wartime desertion is punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
Even if you desert, your options are limited. Soldiers are not allowed to carry passports, so deserters can only travel to document-free former Soviet countries such as Armenia, Kazakhstan or Kyrgyzstan, but even these are not safe.
The six soldiers who were issued visas plan to apply for political asylum in France. Their temporary visas were issued after lengthy discussions with human rights groups to ensure they did not pose a security risk and were genuinely opposed to the war in Ukraine.
Since the start of the war in Ukraine, the EU has strengthened its guidelines for issuing visas to Russian citizens, and many countries have stopped issuing visas to Russians altogether.
Burakova hopes France’s decision to issue visas to deserters will bring hope to other Russian soldiers. “Showing that there is a way out of the military is one of the tools we have to end this war faster,” she said.
[서울=뉴시스]