Olesya Krivtsova, a 20-year-old pacifist labeled a terrorist by the Russian authorities for her opposition to the war in Ukraine, fled to Lithuania via Belarus. She is not the only one who fled Russia in recent months
Olesia Krivtsova escaped earlier this month from her apartment in the city of Arkhangelsk, a provincial city in northwestern Russia and the capital of Arkhangelsk Oblast, disguised as a homeless beggar, changed cars three times, crossed an official border point and announced her safe arrival in a video in Lithuania several days later. The young woman who was under the surveillance of the authorities piled on the authorities and escaped.
Her escape was one of many Russian opposition activists, activists and just ordinary Russians who opposed Russian President Vladimir Putin and the war, were charged for anti-war demonstrations or comments, and placed under house arrest pending trial.
The Washington Post reports that the escapes of detainees equipped with electronic bracelets – which set off a police alarm if they are removed or if the accused leave the house – indicate that Russia’s law enforcement system may be as flawed as its military, which suffers repeated failures in Ukraine.
“It was scary to leave the house with a bracelet,” Krivtsova said in an interview with the newspaper. “It was scary crossing the border. The whole thing was scary.” She said it was better to risk her life on the run than face the prospect of 10 years in prison, and her former student friends condemned her for anti-war posts in a chat group.
“I felt relieved,” she said about crossing the border. “Then I felt quite empty. But I realized that now I can breathe.” She called her family, who had no idea where she was during her escape because she left her phone behind.
For many detainees, the main trick is to exploit weaknesses in the system. In most cases, there is no monitoring of the detainees’ homes. Instead, the electronic bracelets alert the police if a person leaves the house or is removed, but they do not have GPS trackers. Once the alert is activated, it’s time to race out of the area quickly, as the police respond to the alarm after a short time.
Many detainees receive help from Russian and human rights groups with experience in providing escape routes, reliable drivers, visas, money and, if necessary, safe houses in which to hide. Detainees often cross borders with humanitarian visas from EU countries such as Lithuania and Germany.
Krivtsova said the ankle bracelet was not a physical burden “but I did feel part of the Russian state on my body, and it felt like handcuffs.” Like most fugitives, she provided few details of her escape so as not to reveal methods and routes to others. She left on one Saturday so the cops are less vigilant, and the cops didn’t come until the next morning.
Her mother, Natalia, was out of town for the weekend at the time. “We didn’t know anything and I hope you understand,” Natalia said to her daughter. “You know, no matter what I say it can be turned against me.”
Known anti-Putin operatives Lucy Stein and Maria Alyokhina disguised themselves as fast food deliverymen last year and escaped from Moscow weeks apart, pulling off the same trick twice. Stein left in March last year and Elyokhina, left about a month later wearing the same food delivery suit, traveling to Lithuania via Belarus.