Read moreExclusive: On the ground in Russian territory held by Ukrainian forces
Meanwhile, many deserters have been living in perilous conditions.
Go By The Forest is an organisation dedicated to helping Russian soldiers who choose not to participate in the war. In March 2024, it told Mediazona that 30 percent of the 520 soldiers it has helped were hiding in Russia. The rest had fled abroad.
Under Russian laws, which President Vladimir Putin strengthened following his Ukraine invasion, desertion during wartime is punishable by up to 10 years in prison. In Ukraine, there are reports of Russian soldiers who refuse to fight being held in pits and basements for days on end by superior officers.
For deserters who do manage to leave Russia, options are limited. As serving troops are not in possession of their passports, deserters can only travel to former Soviet countries that do not require papers, such as Armenia, Kazakhstan or Kyrgyzstan.
But once they arrive, “it’s not safe for them”, Burakova said.
“It’s really difficult to find a job, to have an income,” she said. “They can’t have any legal status. They can’t leave the country. And also, they’re at high risk of being kidnapped.”
Russian deserter Dmitri Sedrakov was illegally captured by Russian forces in Armenia on December 7, 2023, before being taken back to Russia. Others have been extradited from Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan.
Organisations such as The Ark can help defectors reach these former Soviet states. “But we can’t promise them that they will be not kidnapped from these countries,” Burakova said.
Political asylum
The six soldiers granted visas intend to apply for political asylum in France. Their temporary visas were issued after lengthy discussions with human rights groups to ensure that they did not pose a security risk and were genuinely opposed to the war in Ukraine.
The Ark uses open-source software to carry out such background checks.
“We can identify that the people didn’t take part in war crimes, or sometimes that they were just stationed in military points in Russia, not in occupied territories of Ukraine,” Burakova said.
After the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the EU tightened its guidelines on granting visas to Russian nationals. Many countries suspended visas for Russians altogether.
At the same time, The Ark was receiving a lot of messages from soldiers. “But it’s been really difficult to tell soldiers who don’t want to take part in this bloody war what they can do next,” Burakova said.
She hopes the French decision to grant visas to deserters will bring hope to other Russian soldiers. Both The Ark and Go By The Forest communicate to the public via their Telegraph channels, which are still not blocked in Russia.
Ultimately, she hopes their efforts can have an even larger impact.
“Showing that there is a way out from the army is one of the tools to end this war more quickly,” she said.
© France Médias Monde graphic studio
Source link : https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20241017-eu-first-france-grants-visas-six-russian-soldiers-deserters-ukraine-war
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Publish date : 2024-10-17 17:14:00
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