In May 2026, we asked a few questions to a man who deserted from the Russian army in December 2024. We publish his answers as part of a series of interviews with deserters and people who evaded mobilization in wartime or military service. It should be noted that our goal is not simply to share personal stories, but primarily to clarify through these interviews how we can contribute to desertion becoming a widespread and collectively organized form of resistance to war.
1) For what reasons did you desert and at what stage of the war did this happen?
To understand why I deserted, you need to understand how I ended up in the army. If I had to explain the essence of things briefly - in Russia at the moment many people are under the sights of the Ministry of Defense, now the mobilization of the available reserves in the Russian army is underway. There is no official military mobilization or it is extremely limited, but the corresponding order of Putin is still in effect and no one intends to cancel it. This opens up opportunities for the "recruiters". For example, forced mobilization for temporary service has become a common practice. Conscripts, such as I was supposed to be, should not be sent to the front according to the law, but they are mobilized with the calculation that some of them can be forced to sign a contract. This happened to me. Before I got into the army, I adhered to strictly Marxist positions in my political beliefs. The war caused rejection in me due to my humanistic considerations, but I also clearly understood that the war was an act of imperialist aggression on the part of the Russian Federation. The purpose of the war was not empty words about protecting the people of Donbas and Lugansk from the alleged genocide in Ukraine, nor saving the state borders from the approach of the NATO bloc. I clearly realized that the war brought direct political and economic benefits to a narrow circle of the ruling Russian elites formed around Putin. Of course, I did not intend to participate in this barbarity. Although at certain stages of my service it began to seem to me that resistance was pointless, that it was worth simply obeying and carrying out orders, each time I found the strength within myself to decide to sabotage my personal participation in this war. In total, I deserted 3 times. Each time this happened when they tried to send me to the front. Between these acts of desertion, I endured torture, mockery, and various kinds of humiliation. My last escape attempt was in December 2024, and it was the most insane - I jumped out of a window at Yaroslavsky station in Moscow, and before that I took my documents from a military policeman. In short, it was fun.
2) Did you desert from the recruitment center, the training center, or directly from the front?
All three times I deserted before reaching the front - twice from the training center, and the last time - straight from the train station.
3) Was it difficult to defect? What risks worried you the most?
It was not easy to overcome the inner fear that our commanders instilled in us. We had all seen what desertion led to. People were thrown into pits, stoned, or shot. Officers showed us videos of those who tried to escape but were caught. Only a small part of these videos appeared on the Internet. I assure you that the gladiatorial battle between two deserters, which stirred up the media relatively recently, is only the tip of the iceberg.
The first time I was very afraid, but after they caught me, I escaped with only a few blows to the arm when they forced me to recant the testimony I had given to the military prosecutor's office. The second time I acted more decisively - I understood that they could not deal with me as cruelly as they dealt with the people in those videos, because I was still on the territory of Russia. The third time I was no longer afraid of anything, I had fallen into fatalism. Freedom or death.
4) Did you have to prepare for the escape for a long time, or was it more of a spontaneous act without a clear plan?
I prepared for my last escape very methodically. About a month before I escaped. That's probably why it was successful. I planned the route in advance and prepared for a long run, far from my colleagues. But there were also surprises - the commander of the military police took my documents. I barely managed to take them away, and then I was damn proud of myself that I was not afraid to get into a small confrontation with this man and came out victorious. Since the original path from the station had already been cut off, I rushed to the toilet, climbed onto the ledge and jumped off. I sprained my leg, but I managed to run, quickly crossed the bridge over the Moscow River and hid in the crowd. When I was climbing the bridge, policemen were running towards me, I slowed down and pretended that I was just walking, they did not notice that I was exactly the one they were looking for. In a way, it was great luck. At that moment I felt strong and ready to get to the end.
5) Is desertion in the Russian army a widespread phenomenon or are there isolated cases? Is there collective coherence here or is desertion primarily an individual act?
It always happens differently. I remember when they were driving me to Borzya for training, one of the soldiers, already an experienced veteran, said: "Fuck everyone" - then he jumped out of the KAMAZ on the move and disappeared into the forest. The officer then threatened to shoot those who repeated his act. I also knew an officer who simply disappeared before being sent. He had long been extremely anti-war and tried with all his might to stay with the military unit, but when his name appeared on the list - he simply disappeared. No one ever found him, most likely he had planned his escape much earlier. Desertion is a fairly widespread phenomenon. When you recruit alcoholics, force people to sign contracts for temporary service, offer special contracts to prisoners - you can't expect anything else. In essence, there has long been no real regular army in Russia, now these are just groups of mercenaries with a minimum number of officers. When I was in the Russian Revolutionary Military District, in Chita, in just one missile brigade (I won't mention the brigade number) the list of deserters included about 100 people. This number could vary from month to month, because now someone was caught, now someone escaped again. But on average, about 100 people. If we assume that the situation in the other units is approximately the same, then the number of deserters is very solid. There are approximately 2,000 to 3,000 military units in the Russian Federation.
6) Is it possible to estimate how many people have deserted in Russia? Is there a trend towards an increase or is the number of deserters decreasing?
I believe that this figure is growing. As I have already said, if we assume, based on my experience, that about 100 people deserted in each unit, then with the minimum assumed number of military units (2000), this makes about 200,000 people. The figure is very approximate, but I think it is close to reality.
7) How does the Russian government respond to desertion? Are there any repressive measures being implemented to prevent or stop desertion?
The Russian top leadership has not reacted publicly. But their attitude can be judged by the stories of the surviving deserters - torture, mockery, shootings, sophisticated executions (making two deserters fight with their bare hands for the right to survive, tying them to a tree and beating them, locking them in a pit/barrel without food and water). I think that such an approach was approved from above.
8) What does desertion mean from a legal point of view? What punishment does deserter face? What punishments are actually imposed on deserters in the event of detention and conviction?
From a legal point of view, they face up to 15 years in prison. The soldiers would very much like to be put in prison, but in practice the Ministry of Defense does not make any requests to the military prosecutor's office and military courts. The soldier returns to the unit, is beaten, and then is sent to the front, where he is presented to the commander for execution. Once the soldier, who tried to desert, falls into the hands of the commander - nothing can save him.
9) What specific difficulties do you face as a deserter and refugee? Is there a support network among refugees in the place where you are currently located?
There is a refugee support network in Armenia. However, it is intended more for political and civil refugees. We are trying to create something similar, but our resources are severely limited. The most acute problem is with legalization. Deserters are in a state of uncertainty - they cannot obtain refugee status, they cannot obtain citizenship, it is more difficult for them to find work or receive medical care, and there is no clear legal solution to these issues. In addition, here, in Armenia, is the largest Russian military base outside the territory of the Russian Federation. Several times Putin tried to send his special teams from Gyumri to catch and return the deserters, but Armenia refused to extradite the deserters to Russia, the police refused to help the Russian military and did not allow them to search for people. This is already a huge service from the government of Armenia. We thank them for this.
10) Do you think you will ever return to Russia? Under what conditions could you return to Russia?
I am ready to return to Russia, provided that revolutionary processes begin in the country and that I can participate in the overthrow of the current regime.
11) Putin's propaganda claims that all soldiers participating in the war in Ukraine are mercenaries who fight of their own free will. What is your opinion? Are there cases of coercion or threats, or are all soldiers on the front truly loyal to Putin's regime?
As I have already mentioned, the army is replenished with criminal elements, through fraud and pressure on conscripts, through the recruitment of people with an asocial lifestyle or people with large credit debts. Although there are quite a few volunteers in the Russian army, I cannot say that this is their ideological choice. Rather, in this way they are trying to escape poverty, and their ideological convictions can be anything - from imperial to liberal, and in some cases it is even combined with left-wing radical ideas such as communism, anarchism and the like. It seems funny if we do not imagine that all this motley crowd will soon get weapons and kill people.
12) Are there any general recommendations for other soldiers who might want to desert in the future? What should they do? Which countries should they pass through? How to avoid contact with the authorities and the police?
People who want to defect should turn to the projects for defectors. Our project "ZKR", the project of our comrades "Tverdyy Znak", the project "Idite Lesom" and others like that. I don't want to reveal specific routes in the interview so as not to block them. After all, after you defect, you have about 3 days to leave Russia. Prepare money for a ticket in advance. When you encounter the police, try to behave naturally, don't panic. If they are interested in you during the first 3 days of your escape, then most likely this is not related to desertion. But you don't need to deliberately come into contact with them, there are also annoying police officers. If they have taken you seriously, if in the first days of your escape the police have turned all your places of residence upside down and intimidated all your relatives - then you should stay away from big cities, use BlaBlaCar and leave Russia as soon as possible. Situations are different, sometimes very specific.
13) How can residents of European Union countries practically help deserters?
You know, I can say on my own behalf that I fully understand that: firstly, the inhabitants of the countries of the European Union owe me nothing, and secondly, they are not gods and cannot fulfill wishes. I am convinced that I no longer have a peaceful future. I will have neither a wife, nor children, nor my own home, nor a permanent job. I am practically dead. I would like the inhabitants of the EU to see the tragedies that imperialism, fascism and militarism lead to. As a person with left-wing views, I would like to see, between us, so to speak, fewer imaginary lines drawn along ethnic or national lines. I would like us to be able to stand together in support of the oppressed peoples who have become victims of an imperialist war of aggression. That we could stand together against the war and stand for the defeat of all aggressive imperialist governments. It would be good to create a fund to help deserters or to have a number of temporary shelters-hostels for deserters, but for now this is only in the plans.
* Material from the Czech anarchist network "Anti-Militaristic Initiative".
https://www.anarchy.bg/
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Source: A-infos-en@ainfos.ca
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