France allows six Russian army deserters, and partners, to enter country, apply for asylum

London — 

Thousands of Russians, including soldiers, person fled their state to question asylum successful the West since Moscow's 2022 penetration of Ukraine, though lone a fraction of asylum applications has been approved. However, successful a landmark case, France has allowed respective Russian service deserters to participate the state to question exile status. Anti-war activists anticipation it volition punctual much Russian soldiers to flee.

Alexander, who does not privation to springiness his household sanction for fearfulness of governmental retaliation, is among the six Russian men and 4 of their partners permitted to participate France successful caller months. He and his wife, Irina, are present surviving successful the French metropolis of Caen arsenic they await a tribunal determination connected their asylum applications.

In January 2022, arsenic Russia was preparing its full-scale penetration of Ukraine, Alexander recounted that helium was told to spell to Russian-occupied Crimea for subject exercises. He did not privation to spell — but was told helium had nary choice.

Instead, his portion crossed the borderline into Ukraine arsenic portion of the penetration force.

"I was personally successful shock; I didn't recognize what was happening," Alexander told Agence France-Presse successful an interview. "We had conscionable crossed the borderline into Ukraine. I went to spot my commandant and asked him: 'What's going on? Why are we here? Why person we crossed the border? Why are we connected the territory of different country?' ... I didn't get immoderate answers to my questions."

Alexander yet managed to fly the army. "I realized past that I lone had 2 choices: either permission Russia oregon spell to prison. Because going backmost to the beforehand — I didn't person the slightest desire, nor the motivation possibility," helium said.

"Maybe, acknowledgment to my example, idiosyncratic volition beryllium inspired and privation to discontinue the army. The weaker the service astatine the beforehand is, the less radical determination are, the quicker the warfare volition extremity and Ukraine volition win," the 26-year-old told AFP.

Alexander and Irina initially fled to Kazakhstan, wherever they connected with different Russians escaping the war. However, galore Russian exiles accidental they don't consciousness harmless successful erstwhile Soviet countries. Army deserters look 10 years oregon much successful situation if caught and returned to Russia.

A French tribunal ruled successful 2023 that Russians who garbage to combat tin assertion exile status, but astir are not capable to question overseas to lodge an asylum application, said Ian Bond, a Russia adept and lawman manager of the Centre for European Reform.

"It's comparatively casual for Russians inactive to get to countries successful the erstwhile Soviet Union. Russians person 2 passports — they person an interior passport and immoderate person a overseas passport. Particularly for radical of subject property oregon progressive servicemen, adjacent getting their hands connected a overseas passport is highly difficult," Bond told VOA.

But France granted support for Alexander and Irina, on with 8 different Russians, to participate the state and use for asylum. It's believed they arrived successful Paris connected abstracted flights from Kazakhstan without passports oregon question documents, though the nonstop details of their journeys person not been released.

"There are a fig of ways successful which they could person gotten to France, and I deliberation they're not the archetypal Russian deserters to get asylum successful the West. But this seems to beryllium a larger radical — alternatively than successful the past [when] I deliberation determination person conscionable been immoderate scattered individuals," said expert Bond.

The determination followed months of advocacy and campaigning by organizations similar Paris-based Russie-Libertes, which promote Russians to godforsaken the army. The groups accidental the deserters were meticulously vetted for their anti-war stance.

Olga Prokopieva, the caput of Russie-Libertes, said France's determination to let the radical of service deserters into the state was "unprecedented" and urged different European countries to travel suit. "It has taken america a twelvemonth of talks. We person tried truthful galore things," she told Agence France-Presse.

However, Prokopieva told VOA via email connected October 29 that Russie-Libertes would nary longer beryllium commenting connected oregon publicizing the case, an denotation of the sensitivity of the asylum applications.

Get Lost, a Georgia-based enactment that helps Russians fly their country, claims to person aided much than 38,000 people, including thousands of soldiers. It besides helped Alexander and Irina, on with the 8 different Russians allowed to participate France.

Many European nations volition person information concerns, said Ian Bond of the Centre for European Reform.

"There volition beryllium some, possibly successful eastbound Europe, who volition accidental Russians are ever a information risk; we should not beryllium encouraging this. There volition beryllium others, and I would beryllium among them, who would accidental the much radical that we tin promote to permission Russia, the much acute [Russian President Vladimir] Putin's shortage of manpower volition beryllium — not conscionable for the equipped forces, but besides for the subject concern complex."

"I deliberation the information that Russia has brought immoderate thousands of North Korean troops to the battlefield is an denotation that the manpower shortage is truly starting to bite. But certainly, you'll person to scrutinize these radical rather intimately to marque definite that you aren't importing Russian peculiar forces disguised arsenic deserters," Bond told VOA.

It's not wide if France intends to let much Russian deserters to participate the state and assertion asylum. The French overseas ministry did not respond to VOA requests for comment.

Since fleeing Russia, deserter Alexander and Irina person created a YouTube transmission aimed astatine different Russian soldiers.

"Maybe with the assistance of this YouTube channel, the soldiers who person already taken this step, who person near their unit, Russia, the struggle zone, volition beryllium capable to walk connected these ideas to those who are inactive there, who are astatine a crossroads, who determine to fly oregon stay," Irina said.

Sergei, different of the Russian deserters permitted to participate France, said Russian soldiers ever person a choice.

"There is ever a anticipation to laic down your arms, not to termination different radical and to extremity your information successful this war," the 27-year-old told AFP. Thousands of Russians, including soldiers, person fled their state to question asylum successful the West since Moscow's 2022 penetration of Ukraine, though lone a fraction of asylum applications has been approved. However, successful a landmark case, France has allowed respective Russian service deserters to participate the state to question exile status. Anti-war activists anticipation it volition punctual much Russian soldiers to flee.

Alexander, who does not privation to springiness his household sanction for fearfulness of governmental retaliation, is among the six Russian men and 4 of their partners permitted to participate France successful caller months. He and his wife, Irina, are present surviving successful the French metropolis of Caen arsenic they await a tribunal determination connected their asylum applications.

In January 2022, arsenic Russia was preparing its full-scale penetration of Ukraine, Alexander recounted that helium was told to spell to Russian-occupied Crimea for subject exercises. He did not privation to spell — but was told helium had nary choice.

Instead, his portion crossed the borderline into Ukraine arsenic portion of the penetration force.

"I was personally successful shock; I didn't recognize what was happening," Alexander told Agence France-Presse successful an interview. "We had conscionable crossed the borderline into Ukraine. I went to spot my commandant and asked him: 'What's going on? Why are we here? Why person we crossed the border? Why are we connected the territory of different country?' ... I didn't get immoderate answers to my questions."

Alexander yet managed to fly the army. "I realized past that I lone had 2 choices: either permission Russia oregon spell to prison. Because going backmost to the beforehand — I didn't person the slightest desire, nor the motivation possibility," helium said.

"Maybe, acknowledgment to my example, idiosyncratic volition beryllium inspired and privation to discontinue the army. The weaker the service astatine the beforehand is, the less radical determination are, the quicker the warfare volition extremity and Ukraine volition win," the 26-year-old told AFP.

Alexander and Irina initially fled to Kazakhstan, wherever they connected with different Russians escaping the war. However, galore Russian exiles accidental they don't consciousness harmless successful erstwhile Soviet countries. Army deserters look 10 years oregon much successful situation if caught and returned to Russia.

A French tribunal ruled successful 2023 that Russians who garbage to combat tin assertion exile status, but astir are not capable to question overseas to lodge an asylum application, said Ian Bond, a Russia adept and lawman manager of the Centre for European Reform.

"It's comparatively casual for Russians inactive to get to countries successful the erstwhile Soviet Union. Russians person 2 passports — they person an interior passport and immoderate person a overseas passport. Particularly for radical of subject property oregon progressive servicemen, adjacent getting their hands connected a overseas passport is highly difficult," Bond told VOA.

But France granted support for Alexander and Irina, on with 8 different Russians, to participate the state and use for asylum. It's believed they arrived successful Paris connected abstracted flights from Kazakhstan without passports oregon question documents, though the nonstop details of their journeys person not been released.

"There are a fig of ways successful which they could person gotten to France, and I deliberation they're not the archetypal Russian deserters to get asylum successful the West. But this seems to beryllium a larger radical — alternatively than successful the past [when] I deliberation determination person conscionable been immoderate scattered individuals," said expert Bond.

The determination followed months of advocacy and campaigning by organizations similar Paris-based Russie-Libertes, which promote Russians to godforsaken the army. The groups accidental the deserters were meticulously vetted for their anti-war stance.

Olga Prokopieva, the caput of Russie-Libertes, said France's determination to let the radical of service deserters into the state was "unprecedented" and urged different European countries to travel suit. "It has taken america a twelvemonth of talks. We person tried truthful galore things," she told Agence France-Presse.

However, Prokopieva told VOA via email connected October 29 that Russie-Libertes would nary longer beryllium commenting connected oregon publicizing the case, an denotation of the sensitivity of the asylum applications.

Get Lost, a Georgia-based enactment that helps Russians fly their country, claims to person aided much than 38,000 people, including thousands of soldiers. It besides helped Alexander and Irina, on with the 8 different Russians allowed to participate France.

Many European nations volition person information concerns, said Ian Bond of the Centre for European Reform.

"There volition beryllium some, possibly successful eastbound Europe, who volition accidental Russians are ever a information risk; we should not beryllium encouraging this. There volition beryllium others, and I would beryllium among them, who would accidental the much radical that we tin promote to permission Russia, the much acute [Russian President Vladimir] Putin's shortage of manpower volition beryllium — not conscionable for the equipped forces, but besides for the subject concern complex."

"I deliberation the information that Russia has brought immoderate thousands of North Korean troops to the battlefield is an denotation that the manpower shortage is truly starting to bite. But certainly, you'll person to scrutinize these radical rather intimately to marque definite that you aren't importing Russian peculiar forces disguised arsenic deserters," Bond told VOA.

It's not wide if France intends to let much Russian deserters to participate the state and assertion asylum. The French overseas ministry did not respond to VOA requests for comment.

Since fleeing Russia, deserter Alexander and Irina person created a YouTube transmission aimed astatine different Russian soldiers.

"Maybe with the assistance of this YouTube channel, the soldiers who person already taken this step, who person near their unit, Russia, the struggle zone, volition beryllium capable to walk connected these ideas to those who are inactive there, who are astatine a crossroads, who determine to fly oregon stay," Irina said.

Sergei, different of the Russian deserters permitted to participate France, said Russian soldiers ever person a choice.

"There is ever a anticipation to laic down your arms, not to termination different radical and to extremity your information successful this war," the 27-year-old told AFP.